hi, everyone. days before the january 6th select committee is set to reveal a final report that's likely to lay out the role of dozens of republican members of

congress, republican officials and activists in working to end american democracy, a series of developments confirmed that there's no sign of the fever break figure the gop. even after a bruising election in which voters rejected some of the party's biggest conspiracy theorists and their theories, brand new reporting in new york in which marjorie taylor greene said that the insurrectionists on january 6th would have, quote, won if only she and steve bannon had led them, reveals that a group of the incoming house lawmakers were also in attendance alongside white supremacists. "the new york times" reports that guests of honor included three republicans who took districts from democrats in last month's mud term elections. george santos, and mike collins of atlanta. the republican gala has become an unexpected flash point as the party prepares to take the gavel in the house after winning a

majority in the midterms. the drat democrats questioned the silence since the attendance list and speeches came to light in an article by the southern poverty law center. they are set to fill the brim with members who believe all sorts of conspiracy thetheories. on tuesday andy bigs who was no player in the trump kooup attempt having pressured officials in arizona to overturn the 2020 election there claied that a hearing on extremism that both the white supremacist who killed ten people in buffalo and a the man who attacked speaker pelosi's husband with a hammer, that's not remotely true about either of them. all of this takes place as stunning reporting on the thousands of text messages provided to the january 6th committee by white house chief of staff shows that 34 members of congress exchanged messages

on how to overturn the 2020 election results. the message as are yet another sign that, quote, the defeat of prominent election deniers around the country in last month's mud term elections is cause for relief and maybe even tempered celebration, but not complacency about the dangers to democracy. too many prominent members of the attempt to overturn presidential reelection remain in office for anyone to rest easy. the threat to democracy coming from inside the house. that's where we begin today. let's bring in national security adviser to president obama and msnbc contributor ben rhodes. also joining us is david jolly, co-chair facts first usa. mya wiley is a former assistant attorney and president of the

committee on civil and human rights. and senior capitol hill correspondent garrett haake is here. capitol hill is where everything is happening. i know congressman kinzinger is about to give remarks with some scathing comments about his republican colleagues along the lines of our reporting and our setup. take me inside the mood as this committee gets ready to enter its final acts next week and as this change not just in who controls congress, but in who controls the people who control congress, the likes of marjorie taylor greene. >> reporter: when it comes to the committee, there's a distint feeling like we're cramming for final exams. they are trying to get the physical report finished and sent off to the printer. they divided up how to handle next week with the business meeting on monday in which they will vote on and reveal all of the various referrals they are going to make to doj, to congressional ethics committees to state bar association, if necessary. they will lay out the executive

summary of what is going to be in this 700-page report. the report itself we probably don't see until later in the week. they are still actively discussing how they will be putting this together. they will be putting it together even over the weekend. as sections go to the printer, they are still making an editorial decision about what it is. they are going to be presenting to the american people. that's very much a work in progress. like wise, the formaugs of the next congress on the house side and how it will operate is very much a work in progresstion of next congress on the house side and how it will operate is very much a work in progress the overarching theme is that it's still kevin mccarthy's speakership to lose, but the amount of control he's going to have to give over to his far right flank in his conference to maintain that control remains an open question, remains a negotiation in and of itself. that's part of what's going to prevent him or other members

like the other folks you talked about from con em dugout those on the far right. there's been so much pressure on them in various instances in the past to do so. but right now, the bedfellows are quite strange. marjorie taylor greene has become one of the most prominent conservative supporters of kevin mccarthy in his quest to take the gavel. he can no more afford to alienate her than the hod rat voter, the ones in the joe biden districts that will be on the frontline of the republican conference trying to defend itself majority in 2024. so so much up in the air here as we approach a crist has holiday that may begin next week or if the two chambers fail to fund the government may stretch longer into the new year. >> garrett, this is sort of the beating heart of the news universe and of the government. there's been so much happening up there. i wond if you have any reporting on what went into what is

expected to happen while on the air. adam kinzinger's tear well speech. we focused a lot on liz cheney's rebukes of the republican party. we are to believe -- let's dip in and listen. >> it made the experiment of our great nation so remarkable was that the american people put their faith in their fellow citizens to tell the truth and to make difficult choices we have taken these ideals for granted for far too long. instead of using our platform to advance the well being of our nation and our people, we have turned this institution into an echo chamber of lies. coming home, i believe american democracy was infallible. how could a nation that fought a civil war for the freedom of all, a nation that van kwushed fascism and communism, how could it falter? how could we stand atop mount everest only to decide that we

prepare to fight in the mud. i have sworn an oath both in uniform and in this office to protect this nation and its constitution. while overseas, i witnessed the dangers that radicalization of believes can have on people in iraq and afghanistan. sadly since coming to congress, i have watched our republicans and democrats have weaponized fear in much the same way. we must not abandon our values or our believes in the u.s. constitution. we all swore an oath in this very chamber to support and defend the constitution of the united states not a political party and not a single man. let us renew this belief while casting out those who think the unprecedented call to abolish this sacred document. just as lady justice looks upon

the constitution of of the old supreme court, one floor below us, we must remove the blindfold of politics and govern for all americans. where republicans once believe that limited government meant lower taxes and more autonomy, today limbed government means insighting violence against government officials. following the tragic oklahoma city bombing, former president george h.w. bush publicly refuted those who used fear to gain support. in stark contrast, our leaders today belittle and in some cases justify attacks on the u.s. capitol as, quote, legitimate political discourse. the once great party of lincoln, roosevelt and reagan has turned its back on the ideals of liberty and cel governance. instead, it has embraced lies and deceit.

the republican party used to believe in a big tent, which welcomed the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. now we shelter the ignorant, the racist, who only stoke anger and hatred to those who are different than us. our constituents voted us in based on our believes, but we cannot use our faith as a sword and a shield while ignoring the fact that we are all children of god, that we are all americans. to my democratic colleagues, you must, too, bear the burden of our failures. many of you have asked where are all the good republicans? over the past two years democratic leadership had the opportunity to stand above the fray. instead, they poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of maga republicans, the same candidates president biden called a national security threat. to ensure these good republicans did not make it out of their respective primaries.

this is to longer politics as usual. this is not a game. if you keep stoking the fire, you can't point the fingers when our great experiment goes up in flames. unfortunately, there are too few republicans and democrats that have the spines to stand up and put country over party. this is not how our founding fathers intended for our democracy to function, because mr. speaker, our democracy is not functioning. when one party's mega phone calls for a civil war and the other openly supports it, then we are clearly lost. much like the titanic, if republicans and democrats don't you are jntly course correct, i fear we will hit the iceberg right in front of us. while our politics are more divided now than any time over the past 160 years, we're often reminded of the magic of america at its best. following tragedies like the

boston marathon bombing, hurricane sandy and harvey, americans from all walks of life banded together to support their neighbor, regardless of their political affiliation. through hardship, hope reigns. with this in mind, we cannot allow the loudest voice in the room to become the voice of reason. while we in recent years have failed our constituents, there have been times where we have come together to find common sense solutions to some of the pressing challenges of our times. as a nation we achieved more when we work together. americans deserve a democracy that values true full leaders and real dialogue between our parties. it is my belief that we have to put aside our differences and remember that the nation itself will only survive if the people have faith in one another. unfortunately, we now live in a world where lies trump truth.

where democracy is being challenged by authoritarianism. if we, america's elected leaders, do not search for a way out, i fear this great experiment will fall into the ashes of history. to millions of americans looking for solutions, not lies, it is up to us to ensure that this ship does not sink. we're being challenged at home and abroad. we must not crumble under the gravity of this moment. so many men and women around the world would die and have died trying to achieve what we have in the united states. so many of america's sons and daughters, many of whom have died protecting them, as we continue to navigate a challenging and changing world, we must remember the past. whenever the united states turns its back on humanity, we all suffer the consequences.

hitler not only led to the second world war, but the genocide of millions of jews across europe. believing that we could leave europe destroyed, we could leave europe destroyed following the demise of nazi germany emboldened communists to suppress the continue innocent. only through continued american engagement did we defeat communism and lib raut our european allies to enjoy their god-given freedoms. unfortunately, we once again retreated from the world. thinking no one would challenge this superpower. our human being ritz left to murder 2900 americans here at home. history has proven it's dangerous. over the years i have been privileged to lead the effort on supporting american leadership in a world drowning.

advocating for the rights of syrian men, women and children to live without fear of death squads shouldn't be political. it's just simply the right thing to do. advocaing for stronger american assistance in ukraine, to counterer putin shouldn't be political. it's just the right thing to do. by supporting those who believe in freedom, we advance the interest of the american people. should this congress or any future congress decide to turn their back on our alliances and commitments, it will do nothing but embolden our adversaries. none more than the chinese communist party, it is all but certain china is gauging their tolerance for pain based on our response to ukraine and should we fail to support our allies, china will unloesh their own

aspirations. i know standing up for truth would cost me my job, friendships, even my personal security, i would, without hesitation, do it all over again. i can rest easy at night knowing that i fulfilled my oath to the office. i know many in this institution can cannot do the same. >> congressman kinzinger giving his final set of remarks on the floor of the house of representatives. some comments putting this moment in a historical framer, but undenial repukes for the republican party. he said where republicans once believe that limited government meant lower tax asks more autonomy, today limited government means inciting violence against government officials. it's striking coming out of our opening conversation with

someone who is spreading lies about the murder in buffalo, who was publicly stated his views a as being those of white supremacy saying that that was the left wing conspiracy theorist that committed that horrid massacre. adam kinzinger and liz cheney may have lost their jobs, but they aren't out there trying to win support from the insane caucus like kevin mccarthy is. >> kinzinger is somebody who came into congress and was fairly close with him as he. watched the rest of the republican party pivot from what they were when he was coming out as a military veteran and a ran of the iraq war. watching the republican party turn into something else entirely. those comments will sound very familiar to our viewers, to folk who is have become familiar with his work. not just critical of donald trump, but critical of those who

have enabled him within the republican party. i thought his warning to democrats is something we should make note of. democrat who is supported election denying candidates because they would be easier opponents for democratic candidates, if they get through republican primaries, he warns that they are playing with fire. democrats can't say where have all the good republicans gone when they support far right opponents to make it easier for democrats to hold on to seats. you see the kind of honesty you get in these farewell speeches from members. but very consistent with the criticisms he's labeled on both parties for the last year and a half at least. >> let me read that part of the speech that you wisely point out. to my democratic colleagues, you must bear the burden of our failures. many have asked, where are all the good republicans? over the past two years, democratic leadership had the opportunity to stand above the fray. instead they poured millions of dollars into the campaigns of maga republicans, the same

candidates president biden called the national security threat to ensure these good republicans do not make it out of their respective primaries this is no longer politics as usual. this is not a game. if you keep stoking the fire, you can't point tensioners when our great experiment goes up in flames. this was a point of contention. the january 6 committee did come out against this practice when it was happening. some democratic consultants would point to the results of the midterms as proof that they are playing with fire panned out in some instances, but it is another example of where the members of the committee, democrats and republicans, have always had a single stakeholder in their view. that was defending democracy. it's just another piece of what makes this body of work and the public statements so consistent. >> i think that's exactly right. it's incredibly rare, even in a committee like this one that's hand picked, and i think our

reporting has indicated that's part of the confusion frankly of what's going to happen next week and when is the committee has recognized that how they approached things like simple things like referrals for contempt charges to big things like the incredible focus of their hearings has been part of what thaed them effective. they don't want to stumble in the final weem with disagreements over smaller things that might distract from what has been a consistent message from day one about the threat that started well before the 6 and proceeds to this day in their view. >> david jolly, this was the last line that we listened to. had i known standing up for the truth would cost me my job, my friendships, even my personal security, i would, without hesitation, do it all over again. i can rest easy at night knowing i fulfilled my oath to office. i no many in this institution cannot do the same.

it's sort of an echo to something he said about liz cheney and himself. we're not heros. we're not brave. he points to the fact that every republican around us is a coward. >> yeah, that line resinated. my wife and i on lx night, where we lost in the district. i referred to the sleep well at night test. having spent a year denouncing donald trump and taking on the party. what i did know in that moment, there was clarity. i see that clarity in adam's face today. there was clarity that we could sleep well at night knowing we made the decisions we believe are right for the country. clearly, adam has done that. liz cheney has done that. a handful of others and the nation owes him a debt of gratitude. he did so at great cost to his personal security, to his friendships, which you lose along the way. he has left a mark in history. and we will see some of that in

the january 6th report that comes out. i do think politically both adam and liz cheney are going to have to find their way a little bit. there's not a natural home for them. i would say it is natural for him to offer krut schisms of fellow democrats for investing in maga candidates. that's a fair criticism it's not an equal criticism. that's really important. what the republicans have done for the past six years has damaged the republican hus torque historic ways. they have changed the meaning and what we allow the executive branch to get away with. they have harbored ignorance and racism. they made a tactical decision in an lx that's fairly criticized, but there's no equity with the behavior of republicans. >> i think you're talking about things that people will learn when they are coming out of their official roles in the gop. and the first thing i think that huts you like a wakeup call and

dawns on some people more quickly than others is the death of both sides. that's different from someone like adam kinzinger using his mantle to say here's what this side did wrong and what the other did wrong. what democratic campaign operatives did is maybe a speegd ticket. what republicans did is treason. it's an insurrection. the reason the text messages from 34 republicans with little tid bits like they are swapping recipes about how to overturn the government is still news today pause they are still in the body they threatened. the reasons he can retire is his pod is so damaged from doing hand to hand combat with donald trump supporters, who were invietsed by a lot of those members. they are not at the same level. they may have ended up in the same speech, but they are not

part of the same post political conversation that adam kinzinger seemed interested in having. >> that's right. every member who leaves office under normal circumstances, steve israel and i have had conversations about this, you really are overwhelmed with lessons learned. had many of those are in the brackdown of today's two-party system. 70% of the country agrees that things just aren't working right. so that's in the reform space. you come out of congress saying maybe we need gerrymandering reform. we have to reform the two-party system as it sits today. those are almost academic. but you also can conflate those with moral judgments of the actors within the body, and that's where there is no equity. if republicans had had had their way, we may not have a republic today. if january 6th was successful, who knows where we would be

today. democrats were trying to save the republic in that moment. it was republican supporters trying to redestroy the republic. this is a consequence of historic proportion. there's an inequity of the criticisms. adam, liz and others need a wide birthright now. they are entering a brand new world. they demonstrated the had maturity and wisdom that they will figure it out. >> it is so jarring, i will just say this personally, it is so jarring to be a part of something you believed while deeply flawed tried to get it right and then realize that the republican party used to believe in being a big tent that welcomed the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. now we shelter the ignorant, the racist who only stoke anger and hatred to those who are different than us. that might be the truest two sentences from the entire speech and the bigst contrast in

today's two parties. >> i think that's right. the reality is any political party in our two-party system with these giant parties that have been big tent oefrs different factions, they are going to have varying degrees of problem. i think what adam kinzinger was talking to in that passage you just highlighted is the republican party has become the absolute worst version of itself. there have always been some people that harbor authoritarian tendencies, just as there have been some people in the democratic party who harbored ideas that were deeply offensive to some people. what's happened in the radicalization over the kours of the last deck cake is it's become controlled by its very worst elements. that's what's so dangerous. in fact, because it's become so controlled by its worst elements, the republican party doesn't even have a place for adam kinzinger anymore.

he's no liberal. i would describe him as a conservative. and it's part of what's so remarkable is he's coming on saying, look, there's no place for me in this party. and the fact that he tried to call democrats part of what is interesting about that is that shows he's still a guy who is conservative and looking to be a republican. that's entirely his right to do. the fact he had noz role in the republican party, that tells you everything. they have decided to become marjorie taylor greene instead of adam kinzinger. conservative, solid veteran who loves this country. instead, we have donald trump and marjorie taylor greene, who are really setting the identity for what the party is. that's the true tragedy and the true danger of democracy. >> i'm moved by david jolly talking about giving liz and

adam kinzinger wide birth because i remember in 2015 when i came out against donald trump loudly and proudly on "the view," he started tweeting at me and attacking me. i was sort of stunned and shocked, but i thought everyone will come along as soon as they see what a jerk he is. nobody came along. nobody was there. none of my former bush colleagues, rob portman, everybody sees these questions of democracy and the efforts to bring your best self to the jobs of public service. and this point about giving that, i wonder how you feel about this. i think they voted for trump in november. it was only his actions between his defeat and the insurrection that made them these vocal partners calling republican what is they are, a mortal threat to american democracy.

but it did take them a long time. there was a lot of evidence that the rest of us saw clearly. >> i think i would say two things and both can be true. one is they do deserve praise for doing the right thing after january 6, standing up and saying this is a bridge too far. this is insurrection. this is dangerous for our country. and they were willing to give up power to do it. they were willing to make themselves vulnerable to defeat. i give them credit for that and they deserve that. and centerly to the extent that adam said, he's had to face violent threats himself simply for standing up for basic democratic american values and for facts. think the other point that is also true is that quite frankly, adam kinzinger also voted against the john lewis the voting rights act. this is as a representative someone who stood up against some of the most fundamental

protections for democrcy, particularly in the face of widespread discrimination and effort os to make it harder for people to vote, particularly if they were people of color and not being willing to oppose the protections that republicans since 1965, since the voting rights act of 1965 had been willing to support. my organization, the leadership conference on civil and human rights, and in every reauthorization, and when we talk about saving democracy and fighting hate, remember that the big lie, the big lie itself was based on fear about the fact that so much of the democracy of this count trifs becoming more diverse. there were more people of color now. and that insecurity, rather than finding the leadership to say, you know, we're all people. we're all human beings. we all have needs. frankly, we share a lot of the

same needs and wants and desires and commitment to this country. so there are ways for us to work together. instead of standing in the face against the democratic practice of just being able to go to the ballot box. so much of the violence and hate we are seeing goes directly to voting rights and people's ability to go to the ballot without being threatened or intimidated by white supremacists. >> when you probe republicans privately about why people like liz cheney haven't come around, the republican muscle memory is about local control. you're describing all those threats to people's neighbors, people coming out. what we all gather here and talk about daily is the story of radicalization. it's not a trump story anymore.

it's about radicalized individuals who contrary to what mr. bigs said, here to right wing conspiracy theories p i remember as it was happening, i called experts and said what happens next in america. they said they have to be derattle radicalized within their own movement. i thought these comments were interesting. i have sworn on oath to protect the nation and its constitution while overseas i witnessed the dangers that the radicalization of believes had in iraq and afghanistan. sadly since coming to congress, i watched how republicans and the democrats have weaponized fear in the same way. we must not abandon our values our believes in the u.s. constitution. we all swore an oath to support and defend the constitution of the united states. not a political party or man. let us renew this belief while

casting out those who take the unprecedented call to abolish this sacred document. the only person who suggested that is donald trump. >> yep, and for his own personal gain, which is exactly what we set up this democracy to protect against. it's why we are not going to let anybody, any president try to be one. but something that was so important to what adam kinzinger said is an issue i think we should go deep into is radicalization. the truth is the radicals have been among us. racists, antisemimite, people who are perfectly willing to attack asians because of something trump called the china flu as an instigating point. these real people who fall prey are often intentionally targeted

by the organized white supremacist and neo-nazis. it is the permission that donald trump, his rhetoric and his protection, his calling on the proud boys to be his foot soldiers including a apparently and quite possibly on january 6th, at least that's true, that the permission, the both sides saying as if the real problem was the left, when it was so obviously even from his own administration department of homeland security calling out white supremacy as the greatest terror threat on u.s. soil. and his denial of that actually empowered and mainstreamed violent hate. and that's fundamental to this problem. i participated in president biden's anti-hate summit that he had a few months ago. there was a former whut supremacist who participated. when asked what would you do to

prevent people from being recruited into these organization, he said provide health care. provide job training. make housing affordable. he was good with solving the problems that many of us have and share. when anyone, conservative, democrat, progressive, republican, i don't care what the labels are. the questions are we solving those problems. because it's much less about radicalization and about giving permission, didn'ting the protection of civil and human rights and failing to focus on the real problems that americans have. >> it's the language. it's the reason when we do cover the twice impeached ex-president is because the language has now created a permission structure for those who would carry out violent acts. i want to point out something else. this maybe striking to me, ben

rhodes, because for a republican to talk about america faltering flies in the face of the way republicans have successfully utilized the idea of american exceptionalism for my entire political career. he says this. coming home from war, i truly believe that american democracy was intallable how could a nation that fought a zufl war for the freedom of all a nation that vanquished fascism in europe falter? how could we stand atop mount everest only to decide we prefer to fight in the mud. you begin with how do you fix the radicalization of a large segment of the american people's views ask thoughts. the idea that people out there think an election was stolen and there's zero evidence that it was. a admitting you have a problem, admitting that democracy has faltered is the first step. i wonder what you thought a about that line. >> i think it's really interesting coming from the republican like adam kinzinger. reality is actually the pesh

that is usually talking about how terrible america is donald trump. so donald trump is not necessarily an exceptional form because america's exceptional if he's president. and he regularly talks about carnage a and the death of america if he's not allowed to do what he wants. the reason i think it's interesting from an adam kinzinger is we continue to go through these today. sometimes if you try to raise issues of challenges to our democracy or issues around structural racism, you are kind of accused of running down america or you're said to essentially not believe in the greatness of america. for someone like adam kinzinger to acknowledge all these problems, it wasn't just that. he talked about racism. he talked about the constitution maybe being passed into hiss ri, that's not something usually you

hear from the adam kinzinger wing of the republican party. a willingness to look honestly a at america's faults. a willingness to look at the mirror. a willingness to recognize that this is not preordained forever. we have to do the work of saving this democracy and making it better wasn't step at a time each generation at a time. i to think when people say what are causes for optimism in american democracy and be mr of them after the midterms, one of them is we know we have a problem. a lot of people know we have a problem. and it's not just adam kinzinger. people recognize this is getting way too dangerous. we have gone way too far. that explains what happened in the midterm elections. so i think it is important to repeat this. the acknowledgment of a problem is the first step towards creating solutions. and it's really good to see people like adam kinzinger do that. there are a lot of republicans that talk about democracy and american leadership when they are outside of america. they need to talk about it here

in this country if america is going to be the strong power for democracy that republicans have wanted it to be. >> i'm going to give garrett the last word. i know and i'm so tired of this, privately they all agree with adam kinzinger, but publicly are not going to say anything about donald trump. what would it take to make that change? >> it remains to be seen. that's the pot line. i feel like we keep digging under what things seem like potentially rock bottom. it's been interesting to watch because i have inherited the trump beat on capitol hill coverage over the last couple weeks. the way in which congressional republicans responded to him and some of the more recent crises of his campaign. trying to distance himself from kanye west and the anti-semitism. more republicans have colt out in their own ways against donald trump in that time.

but the tails wagging the dog now. trump, although he's much weaker than he has been in the past, is still among if it not the most popular figure in that party. and mitch mcconnell, whose popularity could be in the single digit from time to time, doesn't have the ability to claw that back. so i think it's going to come around to republican voters deciding they are tired of feeling like they have to defend something they don't want to defend or tired of backing a candidate who keeps losing for the republican party to kind of turn the ship. but we have not seen it yet. i'm not sure when it starts. >> if ever. thank you all for starting us off. when we come back, the criminal investigation into january 6th. today we know more than we ever have about the scope of that effort. special counsel jack smith seeking any and all communications with trump is sending out subpoenas. lots and lots of subpoenas.

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commuications with the twice impeached ex-president to give us a clear sense of what federal prosecutors are looking at and for. we learned this week that special counsel jack smith has now demanded testimony and/or records from local election officials in all seven the baa the ground states that were central by the failed attempt to use fake electors and baseless lawsuits to overturn trump's 2020 defeat. those subpoenas nearly identical in their specific requests for trump-relate the records are among the first known from smith since he was assigned to oversee trump-related key aspects of the january 6th investigation. joining our coverage is the former acting solicitor general and professor at georgetown school of law and an msnbc legal analyst. david jolly is still here. we take these little pieces of the iceberg that pop up and we try to understand what we can about the nature of the special counsel investigation, but in

your expert view do you see? >> so i think you're right about these pieces of an iceberg. if i'm donald trump right now looking at these different pieces, i would spend a lot less time excelling action cards and more time thinking about i'm facing some criminal charges here. or potentially. so to me, the subpoenas do two things. on the small level, they indicate that the justice department is taking a a very close look at this fake elector scheme, which i think should make trump of quite nervous. and then i think on the bigger level, it's really them saying we're not just concerned about january 6th. we're concerned about the events leading up to january 6th. and that means we're going to scrutinize all the ways in which trump attempted to overturn the election. >> what do we take with the fact that there was conscientious of legality. the vice president's former

chief counsel testified that they knew when they told eastman this was illegal. there's some indication that trump was aware of the illegality of this plot. and then trump's fingerprints. in addition to the subpoenas, if they comb through trump's twitter feed and look at the visitor log, it's possible they burn their visitor logs, he was hauling people in at the height of covid. to work them over, some folks from michigan came if. . we all heard the call. fingerprints were all over this in public. it doesn't seem like a particularly tedious task to tie trump to the electors plot. >> i think that's right. there's a difference between criminal liability and kind of just moral responsibility. the congressional investigation is on the non-criminal side,

although they are contemplating referral to the department on the criminal side. but the difference is this. in the criminal law, there's a cob september that's not just enough your fingerprints are on the dirt tu deeds. it's also got to be that you specifically intended them. and it's always the biggest problem in any prosecution not just these ones. but getting into someone's mind, particularly when they can assert the fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination, which trump laws. that makes the prosecution hard. that's where you're trying to get these investigations or trying to get did trump legitimately think he won the election and this was all just a way in which a normal winner would behave or did he do something and the fd is looking like it's the latter, but that's why the investigation has take so long and you see all of the subpoenas going to these seven

states. even some of trump's own press people hauled before the grand jury and asking did donald trump say i lost and those kinds of things. >> can pence absentee that question? that's why he got in the car and went to the capitol. we have hours of testimony from his campaign officials from the top to bottom. isn't that the intention, it would seem, of what the committee sought to do with that bucket of testimony proving that trump knew he lost now? >> it is what they were seeking to do in part, but it's not their mandate. so you're going to generate that evidence. it's important that they generate that evidence. but at the end of the day, it's jack smith and the criminal side and these prosecutions before grand juries that are really going to generate that. just like one very telling thing. the january 6th committee has been stymied in their attempts to try to get information from the team.

for example, there are these call records that steven miller and all these people have blocked the investigators from getting access to that information. congress just threw in the towel last week and said, okay fine, we're not going to do that. we're going to release the report. but jack myth is on a different timeline and doesn't have to worry about the change in political control in the house of representatives. and the senate picked up, and should pick up the january 6 investigation where it's left off and still pursue some of this. i'mleft off and still pursue some of that. i'm hoping we'll see a senate committee that will look into these questions as well. >> neil, i have 500 pent up questions for you. i'm going to ask you to stick around through a break. i think they have their finger owners the fake elector scheme. i want to press you on what happens with them. we need to sneak in a quick

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is freedom, equality, but right now, those pillars of our democracy are fragile and our rights are under attack. reproductive rights, voting rights, the right to make your own choices and to have your voice heard. we must act now to restore and protect these freedoms for us and for the future, and we can't do it without you. we are the american civil liberties union. will you join us? call or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty today. your gift of just $19 a month, only $0.63

a day, will help ensure that together we can continue to fight for free speech, liberty and justice. your support is more urgently needed than ever. reproductive rights are on the line and we are looking at going backwards. we have got to be here. we've got to be strong to protect those rights. so please join the aclu now. call or go to my aclu.org and become an aclu guardian of liberty for just $19 a month. when you use your credit card, you'll receive this special we the people t-shirt member card magazine and more to show you're part of a movement to protect the rights of all people. for over 100 years, the aclu has fought for everyone to have a voice and equal justice. and we will never stop because we the people, means all of us.

so please call or go online to my aclu.org to become a guardian of liberty today. okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. together we support immune function. supply fuel for immune cells and sustain tissue health. ensure with twenty-five vitamins and minerals, and ensure complete with thirty grams of protein. we're back with neal and david. i want to read you this from the raffensperger subpoena. for the period june 1, 2020 through january 20, 2021, produce any and all communications in any form to, from or involving donald j. trump for president, inc., including any and all communication to, from and john

eastman, jenna ellis, boris epshteyn, rudy giuliani, bernie character, cleta mitchell, kurt olson, william olson, sidney powell, bill stepien, victoria tensing, and len wood. it's a real rogue's gallery there, but the net of characters is vast. and, you know, you also have to wonder if lindsey graham has asked for those communications. we was on the phone with raffensperger. what do you think the investigation into the state by state coup pot looks like? >> it's an affirmation there was a conspiracy to steal the election. and not just the people around donald trump were supportive of that, but as you mentioned earlier, members of congress were supportive of that. we have texts from 30 members of the broader caucus as well. look, neal knows very well how to triage the different actions

that donald trump faces related january 6th and other. but the georgia case is a remarkable one because he is on tape. it's hard to see an environment in which donald trump is not found culpable for that. my attestment of all of these action series we know donald trump is guilty of violating the spirit of the law. without question. we know by his own actions. prosecutors will only bring charges if they believe they can convict the former president on the letter of the law that is a high task, a high order, as neal well knows. >> neal, a lot of the conventional wisdom is that the mar-a-lago case is a much stronger and clearer one. do you think there is a possibility that that analysis could shift as this case matures, the january 6th-related cases? >> well, nicolle, i just want to be clear, when you say that, if we're talking the criminal case on january 6th. because the moral historic case of what trump did on january 6th is iron-clad. we already know that. that's the evidence that's come out. but when we think about the criminal side, yes, there are a lot more moving pieces to the

january 6th investigation, including defenses like trump thought he legitimately won the election, like his free speech rights and presidential immunities and privileges and all sorts of stuff. i don't think any of those ultimately will hold up given the gravity of what he did. but i do think mar-a-lago is a clean open and shut thing. everyone who has ever served in government knows that if they did what trump did, they'd be in jail. and there would be digital cards being sold, their figures in jail or something like that. so this is 1-6 is different. jack has a mandate to investigate both of these. mar-a-lago is so simple and easy, i expect he will do that. but then it makes it a little harder to do january 6th on top of that. you're already going after the president for one set of federal felonies. are you going to do it for a

whole separate set? and so that's one of the kind of weird things about the mar-a-lago investigation emerging is it might actually lead a prosecutor to think trump shouldn't be indicted for january 6th when in the absence of that set of crimes, he would have been. >> so many crimes. neal katyal, david jolly. neal, you have given some great teases, those cards. i'm sure viewers are online looking at them and laughing their you know whats off right now. thank you both. house democrats on the verge of a generational change in leadership. we'll look back at the historic career of house speaker nancy pelosi. . documentary filmmaker alexander pelosi will join us near on set. don't go anywhere. even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too.

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asking yourself, this is getting pretty serious. what is this really about? why do i hate putin so much? has putin ever called me a racist? has he threatened to get me fire fordice agreeing with him? has he shipped every middle class job in my town to russia? did he manufacture a worldwide pandemic that wreck my business and kept me indoors for two years? these are fair questions, and the answer is no. vladimir putin didn't do anything of that. >> hi, everyone. it's 5:00 in new york. at the time of russia's invasion of ukraine, that was the message coming from fox news's top most viewed host. sympathy, kind words for vladimir putin. now according to leaked emails reported on by "the new york times," that very clip was used by russian propagandists to portray a more positive account of the war across russia's largest state-owned media company. it's part of what "the new york

times" describes as a counternarrative for tens of millions of viewers in russia. "the times" reports this, quote, russian propagandists plucked clips from american cable news, right-wing social media and chinese officials. they latched on to claims that russian embargoes of russian oil would be self-defeating, that the u.s. was hiding secret bioweapon researches in ukraine. it's where we begin the hour with former cia director and msnbc senior national security analyst john brennan. dr. brennan, i aired that clip when it played because it wasn't so long ago that it wasn't a partisan thing to stand with the world's democracies against the world's most heinous autocracies. and what tucker carlson did and the symbiosis between tucker carlson, vladimir putin and donald trump, who all sing off the same hymnal, whether it's the insurrection, and then when the war started in ukraine, the war in ukraine was so jarring and so shocking. but to now close that circuit

and say it wasn't just shocking to us, it was shocking to the russians. so shocking that they plucked it and rebroadcast it for russian consumption. >> well, absolutely right, nicolle. the russians have used information operations for many years as one of its principle tools, indeed a weapon. so not only does it seed information into western society like in the united states, it then takes the produce of those seeds and feeds it back into the russian people. and so individuals like tucker carlson or others that tend to spout the russian line, these are very powerful ways that the russian propaganda machine is able to push out that information on russian television, which reaches millions upon millions of russians. and that's why as they try to sow the seeds of dissension here in the united states, they're able then to replay that, representing it as something that really reflects divisions in the united states, but also provides the russian people the

kremlin's version of reality. whether that reality is the political environment here in the united states or the battlefield in ukraine. >> john, he, tucker carlson, again, has a unique place in our discourse because he is so -- he is sort of the outer fringe of white nationalism of all of his extreme views. he attacks the u.s. military. it's provocative, and it's shock jock stuff in america. but they didn't want to miss any of it in russia. let me read from the internal emails among russians, quote, be sure to take tucker, one russian news producer wrote to a colleague. that email referred to a clip in which carlson described the power of the chinese-russian partnership that had emerged under biden, and how american economic policies targeting russia could undermine the dollar's status as a world reserve currency. it brings me back to a years' long conversation that i think represents our conversations getting stuck around the axle,

if you will, looking for collusion. it happens in plain sight. it's what muller volume 1 describes as a shared mission, that there was a shared desire to see hillary clinton weakened in 2016 and donald trump elevated. so they all said and did the same thing. is this that? or is there something more to understand about why tucker carlson's on-air product is so desirable to be consumed by russians in russia. >> he comes across as a news pundit, as a journalist, as a reporter. he masquerades as one. he clearly is a right-wing fringe entertainer, as you said, who does things in order to advance his own personal, political, financial interests. and i don't blame a lot of the folks who may be the recipients of these types of garbage that he puts out because they may be gullible or really looking to understand what the reality. he knows what he is doing. he knows what he is doing is

antithetical to the democratic values of this country, and what i think are the responsibilities of the fourth estate. so tucker carlson going out and just spewing these lies intentionally i think really just demonstrates that he really does not have any basis of truth or honesty in terms of what he conveys to the american people. again, he is doing things just like donald trump and some others. they have this personal agenda, and they don't care what havoc they wreak, particularly on something as serious as the democratic principles of this country, as well as what's going on in ukraine and the challenge we have right now dealing with a putin-led russia. and unfortunately, he is the best mouthpiece that putin could ever imagine having here in the united states, because, again, not only is he able to provide this information or this misrepresentation of the facts to the american people, putin is able to recycle it back into russia and presenting it as something that reflects the mainstream american view.

>> i guess i'm old enough to remember when that wasn't a good thing, to be so popular in russia that they replayed everything you said. john, stick around. i want to add to our conversation. ash-har ring gappa, and assistant dean jackson school of global affairs. also joining us, nick confessore, new york advertisements investigative reporter as well as msnbc analyst. you've done some reporting on this between tucker carlson's content, and what we're learning in this report sag voracious appetite for tucker carlson's clips in russian propaganda. it sort of closes this circuit, if you will, between putin and tucker singing off the same song sheet and the actual consumption, the way it serves the putin regime inside russia. >> it's pretty shocking when you thinking about it, nicolle, that the most important propagandist

in russia is broadcasting from a converted town garage in maine. and the reason it's so valuable, if you think about it, look. if it's state tv in russia, they can say look, it's not just us saying this, that america is divided, that oil prices are high, that the war is being lost by ukrainians. it's a top-rated host in america on american tv. if he is saying it, surely there some truth to it. it's much more effective than having the usual talking state heads in moscow making the same line. a country that is supposedly helping the ukrainians saying oh, no, it's all terrible. and essentially, it's a dovetailing of interests for tucker carlson. it's important to show that the only reason that we're in this war is because of some unsavory deal the bidens have in ukraine, and we're losing the war. it's bad for americans. it's juking up our oil prices and our gas prices. so the only reason to be doing

it is corruption. that's why he always has to maintain the fiction that the war in ukraine is being lost. >> i want to read you some of where this reporting emanates from. this is a note on "the new york times" story. the reporting polls from thousands of email exchanges stored within a leaked database from russia's largest state-own media company, the all russia state television and radio company, known as vgtrk. the data was made publicly available online by ddo secret, a group that publishes hacked documents. with your expertise, what stands out for you? >> so, nicole, this is russia's fire hose of falsehood propaganda model, right. there is a number of things going on. first is that they have multiple channels through which they can push out propaganda, and they can close out other narratives. there is something called the

illusory truth effect, which is when you're hearing the same thing from multiple sources and repetitively, it appears more credible. the other thing is that russia has, because it has market capture, it also has a first mover advantage. it can get these narratives to the target audience first, which makes it incredibly difficult to undo. the first person who can get to you with a narrative is always going to have the advantage. and this is why in the lead-up to russia invading ukraine, it was so important that the biden administration decided to prebunk many of its narratives. it really prevented russia from gaining traction in terms of these fabricated justifications for invading. so i'm not surprised that they're doing this, and i think that as nick just mentioned, tucker carlson offers what's called legitimizing propaganda. it corroborates what they are putting out from their own sources. >> listen, that is such an ah-ha

piece for me, nick. i know in politics if you hear a message from a democrat and a republican, it's why i thought bernie sanders was so devastating when he would attack hillary clinton with the same kinds of things that donald trump was saying about her in 2016. that makes a lot of sense to me as a messenger. what i've never understood -- actually, i can get there. i understand why putin values tucker carlson. what does tucker carlson get from being the most popular broadcaster in russia? >> that's a great question. i mean, look, perhaps he believes it. certainly it's part of his world view that america is in decline and that our elite is ill serving the country. and that's what makes the viewers of that show tune in every night. he is very good at painting a consistent narrative that america's leaders are foolish and incompetent and always doing the wrong thing and doing bad things that hurt americans. that is the message that keeps the viewers tuned in to "tucker carlson tonight" and the dollars

flowing in to fox news. look, if he was getting things right every day, he'd have to say well, he is right, correct? but he's not. he is out there in august saying that, like, russia's winning the war, and then a few weeks later, russian tanks are burning all over ukraine. so it's not as if he is getting it right. it's really a invested interest in a world view and a narrative that itself is part of the bottom line for his network. >> asha, how do you analyze that? and what is the analysis of someone who is so desperate to be in putin's corner, to share his world view, that he is making things up? >> yeah so, there is a term called convergence. it's when different entities come to the same conclusion, but for different reasons. and, you know, for tucker carlson, when you paint your own domestic political opponent as the enemy, then it serves you to adopt whatever narratives

further that effort. and i think that that's what we've seen. i also want to note, nicole, this is also consistent with the beliefs of this base, right. we can go back to 2017 charlottesville. what were those people chanting? "russia is our friend" there is a natural affinity between the direct that the maga base has gone in and a white ethnocentrist christian nation that they feel a lot of affinity with, and frankly, probably believe that is more aligned with their interests. there used to be people with t-shirts that said "i'd rather be russian than democrat." i think from a number of different angles, it makes sense that tucker is capitalizing on this and benefits from it as well. >> director brennan, i know this has always been out there, and i remember the first time i saw

sean hannity putting russia and russians and putin on a pedestal as a strong leader, finding it so jarring and shocking, but you don't have to look any farther than mike flynn. this is a world view that he now travels the world sharing. this is how he sees the world. and it has more than infected the republican party. the extreme members who are ascendant, who support kevin mccarthy as coveting have a very anti-ukraine world view and a sympathetic view towards russia. how do you deal with those -- they're not even tensions. they're contradicts in u.s. foreign policy when the truth deniers are in our own politics and our own elected bodies? >> i feel often that i'm in an upside down world. and i feel as though president reagan must be rolling over in his grave many, many times. >> and john mccain. >> what has happened to the republican party, the fact that they continue to look at mr. putin as somebody who almost emulate and to admire.

and so it's not just that tucker carlsons and sean hannitys, but it's the people in congress who continue to i think abdicate responsibilities as far as speaking up and speaking truthfully, as opposed to just taking a position. i think the point was just made about the conversion of views. it really is very true. i think there are so many individuals, particularly among the hard right republicans who will say anything as long as it's critical of president biden and the biden administration. so therefore they align themselves readily with the likes of putin as well as others around the globe, which is really quite unfortunate, because, again, the american people deserve much more than that from their public officials. >> nick, what is the sort of state of acceptance that fox news' most watched anchor is being consumed readily, daily, hourly and with urgency inside russia as part of the state-run propaganda to prop up a war

being described as a campaign of terrorism and targeting of civilians in ukraine? >> tucker carlson's only job as far as fox is concerned to maintain share. that's the bottom line. and yes, to tell a story that will keep the audience coming back. i think this has been a project of his politically and intellectually. and i would compare to it his embrace of victor orban in hungary. in his broadcast, he has painted hungary as a success story. it has freedom. the lies you've heard are all wrong. it's important to legitimize the project that orban has in hungary, that kind of nationalist project, the closed borders project, because he wants that to be a model here for conservatives at home. i think there is something to what asha said about a similar dynamic at work with putin. it's not exactly the same, but it's clear putin has also taken on the job of a defender of from

gaye rights, and liberals. it's important that russia be a kind of success story, and that the u.s. be a story of depression and loss and lost prestige. and i think that drives a lot of this. >> again, asha, i understand putin's motivation structure. i do not understand the republican party's. john mentioned reagan. more recently, john mccain, i'm sure one of his last rants was about putin being a murderous thug. what happens inside our national security agencies when one of this country's two parties becomes them sympathetic to one of our greatest political adversaries? >> when you don't have unity in terms of how you're dealing with an adversary, and when you have a politicization of some of those narratives, it becomes very difficult i think for the

intelligence community and law enforcement to combat it. these are now kind of -- the narratives that tucker carlson puts out are -- it's hard to disentangle them from the political and policy positions of the maga base. and as john mentioned, some of these people are in congress. so as soon as you start to push back against them, you're accused of political bias at best or interference in political processes if you're trying to, you know, investigate, for example, russia interfering in the elections. so it makes it very difficult. and what we're seeing really is a domestication now being used against our own people and american citizens. >> and with far fewer tools to untangle. it's fascinating. it's a fascinating piece of reporting. thank you for being here to report about it. when we come back, paying

history to nancy pelosi. alexandra pelosi to talk about her mom and the incredible behind the scenes portrait she paints in her new film "pelosi in the house." and later the dramatic story of an american volunteer who is risking everything to help people who are under constant bombardment in some of the hardest hit parts of ukraine. "deadline white house" continues after a quick break. don't go anywhere. don't go anywhere. you could manufacture a whole new way of manufacturing. you could disrupt buying habits before they disrupt your business. you could fire up a new generation of start-ups.

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my members had the courage to elect a woman speaker.

that is not without -- somewhere in this congress is a woman, a future woman speaker to be. i'm honored to be the first, but it will only be a good accomplishment if i'm not the last. >> speaker of the house nancy pelosi making history once again, this time by becoming the first and only woman to have her portrait hung in the speakers lobby at the u.s. capitol, a chamber that is filled with portraits of past speakers of the house, all of them white men until now. while that emotional ceremony was under way in washington, d.c., the man accused of attacking paul pelosi, the speaker's husband, was in court in san francisco. a judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence against pelosi's accused attacker for that case to go forward. in the course of that hearing, new and disturbing details emerged, including that the accused attacker told police he had a hit list. it included tom hanks, california governor gavin newsom, and hunter biden. and importantly, given the tsunami of deranged conspiracy

theorys from the right, attempting to cast doubt on what really happened during the assault on paul pelosi. prosecutors unveil police body cam footage showing the actual assault. as the san francisco d.a. put it, the attack on paul pelosi reflects this, quote, the toxic environment that we are living in at this time. not only that we can't engage in civil discourse with respect to political differences, but the people believe it is okay to enact acts of violence against our political leadership for simply taking a position that is not in accordance with what that person believes. it is against this backdrop that a powerful new movie has arrived. viewers of this show will remember a few weeks back when we aired never before seen footage of nancy pelosi on january 6th, an extraordinary portrait of her grit, showcasing speaker pelosi unflinching as insurrectionists stormed the u.s. capitol, and arguably calmer than everyone else, including every man in the room.

that riveting footage of speaker pelosi was captured by her youngest daughter, veteran filmmaker alexandra pelosi. it is part of gnaw documentary, "pelosi in the house", now available on hbo and hbo max. it is as much a master class in a veteran filmmaker turning her lens on a fascinating and complex and personal subject as it is a valentine from a daughter to her mom. here is a look. >> i have a sixth sense about the scent of elections, and i smell success wherever i go. >> you are impossible to crack. you're always on message. how do you do it? how do you always stay on all the time? you're impossible to crack, you know that. >> well, i have my sensitivities. >> what does that mean? >> it means i have to be sensitive to the impact of my words on certain other

campaigns. you know, if i'm saying i can smell success, it means i can smell lack of success as well. >> you're a tough nut to crack, you know that? there is no cracking you, huh? >> that's what you want to do, crack your mom. >> yes, i do. i want to crack you. >> the documentary is "pelosi in the house." we're no so happy to be joined by filmmaker alexandra pelosi. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you for having me here. i'm super surprised you called me valentine because i thought it as very unauthorized. she never signed a release. she never gave me permission. i'd been filming for decades, as you know. i got my start as a documentary filmmaker back in the bush days, when karl rove saw me filming without permission. i worked for nbc at the time. i was assigned to sit on the bus. it was so boring, all those days eating turkey sandwiches. >> it is endless. >> i think with the amount of

social media, they have to constantly feed the beast. when we did it, it was not like that. you filed the story and you just went to the bar for the rest of the night. so i pulled out my camera. i was filming. karl rove saw me filming, and he said, "oh, i get it. it's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission." >> always. >> and that became my mantra. karl rove is my yoda. that's it. i'm not going to ask for permission. if i went to karl rove am i aloud to film here, absolutely not. >> it changes the subject of the film, right. if you ask permission, wait, let me get -- >> you don't want to film anything that anybody gives you permission to film. >> let's talk about the craft first, and then we'll sort of back into your mom. was making something about your mom any different for you as an artist? >> i walked up to jeff barts, like a veteran, seasoned amazing documentary, one of the greatest documentary editors. i saw him in the cafeteria in 2018, and i said to him, maybe

it's time -- he is very in vogue to do your own words, like ted kennedy's own words, gloria steinem, in her own word. maybe it's time to look at my library. i've got a lot of good stuff. this is 2018. he said okay, i'll take a look. see if there is anything interesting. he works for hbo as an in-house documentary editor. so he went through and was fascinated by this. so he started playing with the footage. but that was before the next election. 2018 was a big election. that's when she becomes speaker for the second time. and the premise is, if she gets put out the pasture, if we lose 2018, maybe we should have a film ready in case that's the vibe. but it only just got started. all the best stuff started happening 2018. >> i have to say as a viewer and somebody who has covered your mom and interviewed your mom, she is impossible to crack. and you keep her on for ten minutes, and your editor is going wrap. no, ten more minutes!

she never, ever is off message. where does that come from? >> she was born into it. it's in her dna. she was -- her father was in congress. >> right. >> this is what she believes. and that's the thing. >> that's it. she is the same. that's what you see in your film. that's what you see on january 6th. she is the same sort of steely bad ass sort of scolding donald trump for being in bad with putin, she is the same person on january 6th. >> right. and the thing i actually appreciated when you were showing that footage. john boehner was there yesterday. and he was crying. it was so sweet. he said such nice things about her. but it brings you back to an era where just like georgew. bush, they disagreed about very serious things. but they still worked together. and that's what has been lost from our politics. >> we could talk for the next three days about that. i think one of the moments that is most noticeable if you're on the george w. bush side is he was privileged to pay honor to

pay honor to your mom when she was behind him as speaker. that was her first episode. >> when you saw that, you saw all the republicans on the side of the aisle. >> clap. >> standing up and applauding. it would never happen today. >> and she disagreed with him on just about everything. but when the country was in crisis after the economic collapse, i think he respected the way she approached that crisis for the country. i don't know that that would happen now. >> and i also think that both respected the office. >> right. >> presidency. that's speaker of the house respecting the office because they came from political families and they understood that these are positions written into the constitution. they're something you interest v to respect. my mother, public service is a mobile calling. she says yesterday, year all a gift to this nation. and kevin mccarthy was sitting there. it really is a public service. now, i mean, i won't get into

how i feel about a lot of the people that are now serving in this positions. sort of downgraded. >> let's go there. listen, something that we covered and you're brave to be out here when so much of the spotlight is on both your parents. we covered the attack on your father for the hideousness of what happened to him, and for the reaction, which is just as hideous. when steve scalise -- i know your mother has been close to him -- was attacked, everyone was able to say it was heinous and hideous and evil. everyone. when your father was attacked, a lot of people on the right weren't able to say that. how does that land with you? >> well, not only are they making jokes. >> heinous smears. >> and making up -- we want to call them conspiracy theories. it's not conspiracy theories. it's sick, toxic. they're inventing -- there is no truth. and it's sick. anyone, members of congress, senators retweeting that.

that's so dangerous. and if you call it a conspiracy theory. >> wacky pizzagate. >> right. but it's more than that. it's a corrode your mind. and that stuff is out there. and people, you expect it from pizzagate crazy people in their underwear at home. you don't expect it from ted cruz. okay. i'll stop there. ted cruz and i'm thinking, look, there is a man who does not want us talking about his family today. >> of course not. >> but we wouldn't. we wouldn't because we're human beings. we wouldn't. and we know we would never go near something i anything so sensitive as somebody's family. we know that. >> but it didn't stop him from retweeting, and i won't call them conspiracies anymore, i appreciate that note, but lies about your dad. >> it's so heartbreaking the amount of just -- our whole

social media environment is so corrupted. >> but it's being designed as such by elon musk, isn't it? >> see, there are people -- they have a profit margin to be made here. free speech is great. if you want to go stand on the street corner and scream any pizzagate conspiracy, good luck. >> can i just ask you one thing? i think we have agreement about what's happened to the discourse and what's happen todd the people contributing to it. but how -- did your dad know that was happening? >> of course. and i think it's really hard for him. >> because he knows these people, right? >> right. and i think he considered -- he has a lot of republican friends. he has a lot of friends who voted for donald trump. so it's hard for him to make peace with the fact that we went from not agreeing to people are just inventing -- it's really scary this stuff. and it is centimeters away from his own death. he was left unconscious in a pool of his own blood because of all of this. it's one thing to say oh, the conversation has gotten so toxic, it's terrible. but it's dangerous. it's really, really dangerous.

>> do you think when they see him, they're shamed into not doing it anymore? >> no. i don't think -- anybody who tweeted or retweeted any kind of version of a conspiracy theory has to have their head examined. there is mental illness in any senator or congressman or governor that made a joke or retweeted some silly anything, they should all have their heads examined. it should be sent to the capital physician to be examined to see if they have mental illness. >> they won't even get covid tests. i don't think -- i want to show some more of the filming. just need to sneak in a quick break. you'll stick around? >> sure. >> all right. we'll be right back. don't go anywhere. e understand the world through their lens and invest accordingly. you can call us christmas eve at four o'clock in the morning. we're gonna always make sure that you have all of the financial tools and support to secure your financial future. that means a lot for my community

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talk to our switch squad at your local xfinity store today. madam speaker, i have to say, my girls told me, "tell the speaker how much we admire her." you know, the younger generation has a saying, game recognizes game. let's just say you're one tough cookie. >> we're back with alexandra pelosi. i mean to know speaker boehner is to have seen speaker boehner cry. but that was a particularly difficult thing for him to get out, how much your mom means to his girls. that's beautiful. >> yeah, see? there is some hope for humanity. >> but he's not there anymore. i think it's sort of at peace, right? the banners are all gone. >> okay. >> what do we do about that? and kevin mccarthy wants your

mom's job. he is courting marjorie taylor greene. is she worried? >> i don't know. why you asking me questions like that? what did you do in your life to deserve a pipe bomb being sent to your family? let's talk about it. >> it's the climate, right? anyone that is out there is living with threats. and i think the hardest thing is worrying that nothing was so gutting frankly about what happened to your dad is nothing is going to happen to me in here, right? it's hard to get in the building. you worry about your family. everybody does. >> but what happens when you leave here? >> i think everybody in the public arena is living in the world that you and your family are living in. and i think everybody that makes a joke out of it or retweets a lie about your father has something on their hands, culpability, blood, whatever you want to call it. and the right doesn't like to hear that when they're endangering people on the left. but the truth is those conspiracy theories and the embrace of kanye west and elon musk is only happening on the right right now. >> yeah. i would say the gop definitely has blood on their hands.

i just -- i don't want to get myself canceled right now, because i know it's coming. if i leave here, anything i say, i'll get the fbi on my doorstep saying that, you know, there has been threats against you. so i just want to live in a world where okay, let's find a way to get to kumbahyah so i can leave here and you can get pipe bombs on your doorstep, but they'll skip myself. let's skip her house. >> let's put it back to your mom. let me show some more from the film, a great film. >> hi, mr. vice president? hi, yeah, we're okay. we're here with mr. schumer, mr. mcconnell, the leadership house and senate, and how are you? oh my goodness. where are you? god bless you. but are you in a very safe -- we're still not safe enough for us to go back. we're being told it could take

days to clear the capitol, and that we should be moving everyone here to get the job done. we're at fort mcnair, which has facilities for the house and the senate to meet. we'd rather go to the capitol and do it there, but it doesn't seem to be safe. we've gotten a very bad report about the conditions of the house floor with defecation and all that kind of thing. okay. and then call us back. okay. i worry about you being in that capitol. don't let anybody know where you are. >> i watched that three or four times now, and i always think about the testimony before the 1-6 committee that trump called him the p word, and your mother is there so tenderly making sure he is safe and wondering about where he is going to go next to stay safe. it's so extraordinary. how much sense as you're

shooting that do you have of what's happening outside that room? >> none. i mean, what was interesting was that everybody and the constitution was involved in that day except the man at the top. >> right. >> that's just remarkable to me. they're calling everybody. how are we going to solve this problem, how are we going to fix this. and they call everybody, except the one person that was the leader of the free world at that time. >> it sort of makes the case for them that the 1/6 has been trying to make, that in crisis. and i don't see and your film doesn't capture any dissent. the republicans, no one is fighting with your mom about who to call and what to do, right? >> that's the interesting part. when nobody is looking, you see kevin mccarthy, mitch mcconnell, chuck schumer and nancy pelosi calling mike pence and making it happen. and they actually made it happen. they got back, did exactly what is written into the constitution. they were planning on bringing all those people to the army base. they were going to get the whole congress, the senate and the house to come on buses, bring

them in and do it right there in the dark of night. thank god that didn't happen because you can imagine because conspiracy theories would have come out of that. they managed to get back into the capitol and do it. but that was they were all working together. so you always have to -- that's our silver lining i guess is when people aren't watching, they actually get along. because there were some nice moments when people weren't watching. that's the difference between what happens at the podium, right. >> and what happens in private. because since then, you know, the republicans have rewritten the whole history of the day. >> and they come back after this and they vote to overturn the election results. >> i know. they kept it going into the night, after all that. >> after all that. >> and there was literally poop in the capitol. >> i like starts with defecation and there is a later clip where she is talking about poop, but she is still so her. i have to ask, we see her tearing open a slim jim with her teeth. these are the sort of thing that births a million memes about your mom and the tiny things she

does to sustain herself. i'm sure that was all she ate that afternoon. one of the little pieces that the film captures, the press crew or the podium watching her we don't get to see. >> you're bringing it all back to the very beginning. i was filming hundreds and hundreds of thousands of hours, you know. so much just a day in the life. i think what you see in this film is not just who cares about nancy pelosi, because let's face it, in the end, this is about the speaker of the house. we're talking about -- >> the office. >> what is a speaker? what does she do all day? how does she pass a bill? how does a bill become a law? this is like schoolhouse rock. i'm teaching people. my mother told me she had never been into the speaker's office before she was speaker herself. >> that's amazing. >> i sat there for so many thousands of hours so you don't have to. this is the greatest hits. >> your artistry is there and just off of the calls to save the country or pass a bill are her grandchildren coloring or your dad making breakfast.

talk about your art. >> i always thought that was funny that was the ginger rogers backward and part of what she does. she still has these five very high maintenance children and nine grandchildren that she still has to when she is going to impeachment, can you find that birthday card for my granddaughter? everybody expect herself to still do the mom and grandma role. well don't give her a pass just because she has a day job. everyone is i need you to show up to the birth of my child, i need you to show up at their college graduation. she has been there for all those things. i included births and college graduations to show the evolution of how, you know, she still had to do all those things even while she was impeaching the president. >> she carries the feminism piece lightly, but it's obviously important to her that there is another woman speaker. how does she work to make that happen? >> i think the hard part is after all they've done to me, who would want this kind of a job. but she keeps saying i encourage women to run, and she is always trying to get women involved.

she says it's an important part of -- she is very proud of how many women came since she started there. but if you see the way she has been treated and the hundreds of millions of dollars in adds that have been made against her, and the huge park they put on the back, and they left her husband in the icu, who would ever want this kind of a job? it's sad, if you think about it, because no one with any, you know. >> sense? would want any of these jobs. >> who would ever run for office now? it makes you wonder who these creatures are that are running, the new once. >> that's part of the problem. i want to ask you one last question about the film and what it leaves. part of your art is that it's there forever. it's there after your mother is no longer one of those powerful people in the country, one of the people who held our country together with her slim jim and her heels on january 6th. what is it that someone who stumbles across whatever we're using to watch films in 100 years. what is it you want them to take from the film? >> did i make that question for

you? it sounds like something that came out of the pr. what is the point of this whole thing. >> just from someone who isn't following our politics right now. >> that's why i make documentaries. because this environment that we live in is so broken. >> right. >> and it's so toxic. it makes me want to throw up all over myself thinking about everything you put into context in this whole conversation. so documentaries are supposed to last. they're supposed to provide education. so my mother would say public service is a noble calling. i would say documentary film making is a noble calling because we are giving you history with a slim jim. >> it's beautiful. it's a really -- we think a whole lot of your mom. we think a whole lot of you as a film merrick. >> thank you. >> so thank you for being here to talk about it. >> thank you for having me. >> and for putting it out in little spurts so we can consume it and watch it. it's really powerful and important. thank you for being here. >> i think i'm not going anywhere. i think i'm going to stay. >> we have 12 more minutes. you can hang around. i don't know where we're going. probably nowhere uplifting.

thank you. the documentary is called "pelosi in the house." it's out now on hbo and hbo max. when we come back, we'll have a live report from ukraine and the story of an american volunteer, a former ups driver, who has taken on the riskiest mission of all to help people in some of that country's hardest hit places. it's an incredible story. we'll bring it to you after a quick break. don't go anywhere. did you know some of your detergent's fragrance disappears in the dryer? downy in-wash scent boosters survive the washer & dryer for freshness that lasts 6 times longer than detergent alone.

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shelling, the u.s. is getting ready to send the most advanced air defense system to the ukrainians to aid in their fight. amid the constant shelling and as ukraine heads into the winter, ukrainians are fighting on the front lines, tomatoing to get supplies to and rescue those in regions in the east that were once occupied by russian forces. alison barber caught up with an american volunteer who's been running his own missions and she joins us live from kyiv. hi, alison. >> hey, nicolle. so we met brad in eastern ukraine in -- the people who still live there, the population is less than 12,000 now. they're just under constant shelling and brad, he keeps going back in, trying to make delivery of aid, trying to get

people out. watch. >> the two primary jobs are delivering aid and then evacuating people out. >> reporter: he'll tell you he's just brad from the states, a guy who's had a lot of jobs, some with emergency medical training, but most recently he was a u.p.s. truck driver in maine. now he's driving routes few would dare to take. utter bombardment at times. and alone. >> i'm sort of the last mile guy in a lot of different place. >> reporter: roughly speaking do you have a sense of how many evacuations you've done since you have been here? >> dozens and dozens and dozens. surely more than 100. i'm bad at counting. >> hey, buddy. >> reporter: all of these videos are brad's. [ speaking non-english ]

snapshots of a humanitarian mission few back home could imagine. >> i just got a call about a wounded person next door to an evacuation that happened recently. >> reporter: this was brad's thanksgiving. at night fall, a call came. he was about to begin one of his most daring rescues. >> hello. >> reporter: 69-year-old tatyana was desperately trying to save her husband who was injured in an explosion. she tried to stop the bleeding with tourniquets and kitchen rags. >> we have to go. doctor. we have to go to a doctor now. >> reporter: brad tried carrying him on his back but couldn't do it alone.

so he pulled him down every step to the temporary safety of his toyota land cruiser. finally, after a harrowing drive -- they made it to a hospital. there was little time to spare. today tatyana is in western ukraine, the memoies of that night still haunt her, except for one. >> translator: suddenly out of nowhere, a voice on the street. hey, hey, hey, i yell. her husband of 48 years is alive, and she says it's only because of brad. >> translator: he is an unreal human, unreal. he is just an angel. i'm serious. it is impossible for a person. it is impossible for an ordinary

person. i just thought that an angel had come. >> reporter: brad is still in eastern ukraine. >> did you expect to be here as long as you have been? >> no. no, i did not. no, i thought i probably would have already been back by now. >> reporter: and he says he's not going anywhere. >> there are a lot of people who come in and go back out. >> yeah. i feel on the hook. i keep looking at the need, i keep looking at the grief, i keep looking at the freezing cold and emaciated animals and the medical injuries and, on and on and on. >> reporter: and he has at least one u.s. based humanitarian group that he sort of works with in this regard, gets donations from them. they're alled assist ukraine, but for the most part, nicolle, brad does this on his own. when he came here, he didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but he told us he was inspired in part by a poem that was written by a ukrainian poet called "we lived happily during

the war". it talks in the end of this very short poem about in the country of money, in the streets of money, we forgive us lived happily during the war. brad did not want to be that we, so each rescue, each delivery he makes, he says it is his protest against russia's war. >> oh, my god. extraordinary reporting about one person in ukraine but an extraordinary piece of report about humanity. thank you so much for bringing that to us. please stay safe there, my friend. quick break for us. we'll be right back. we'll be right back.

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