. >>> let -- let me bring in ben wittes. a lot of times we ask to you try to see through mueller and try to understand the mueller probe. try to help me in the -- make the best case for why the president's doing what he's doing with his legal team. >> well, i don't think there is a good case for it. but let me start with a point that you made earlier, which is that the exiting legal team really did the president a disservice by reassuring him that the entire situation was under control and was going to wrap up on its own. and one thing you shouldn't do to a volatile client is tell him things that aren't true. and the repeated reassurance, buying his quiet by convincing him that it is all okay, if you just give us until thanksgiving or until the end of the year, you just give -- that's pouring -- it's putting gasoline in a tank that you're then going to pour on a fire later. and so it defers the problem, doesn't address the problem. that said, replacing such lawyers with people who were conspiracy theorists and who want to an

he sent similar rth >> ben wittes is back would you say. look, daniels' attorney first said she had been twlentd legal harm. now he seems to be incident mating cohen might have had something to do with it. he's been building interest towards the sunday interview. if he's going to make these accusations, is it time to come up with proof? >> it's inappropriate for an attorney to make these allegations. if it's true, it's horrific, could you give another attorney acting on behalf of the president to threaten this woman, i can't think of a worse tra transgression, one by the bar. but i think at this point he needs to be very careful because threatening violence is a serious offense. it's a crime. so to kind of puff putt that out there and pull it back in is a bit odd. but i will say this. he seems to be beating trump at his own game. it's unfortunate, but it almost seems like the latest episode of a reality show, and that's how basically this administration has been conducting itself from day one. >> there is a legal side to this, ben. what do

as ben wittes just said, a corroborating witness to james comey. and if you can get him fired from his job for being untruthful that would haven effect on his credibility as a witness. >> well, i think that's exactly right, lawrence. we know from what direct comey had said he shared those encounters, those encounters where president trump may have attempted to obstruct justice, he share said those encounters with a small group of people. all of whom have now been either side lined or fired. and in the case of any mccabe he, of course, was sides lined weeks ago and now his firing as andrew mccabe was saying to undermine his credibility as a fact witness. the other thing we have to allude to is we haven't heard from michael horowitz, the is inspector general. we have heard from jeff sessions, the attorney general. and we don't have to go back in history to recall what happened to tillerson in the differing accounts we heard from the white house and the state department. the white house put out a statement leading all us to believe that rex tillerson

the mueller investigation because andrew mccabe is obviously a witness in that investigation as ben wittes just said, a corroborating witness to james comey and if you can get him fired from his job for being untruthful that would have an affect on his credibility. >> that's right. we know from what director comey has said, written, he shared his encounters. the encounters where president trump may have attempt today obstruct justice. he shared those encounters with a small group of people, all of whom have been sidelined or fired. in the case of andy mccabe, he, of course, was sidelined weeks ago, and now his firing, i suspect as andy mccabe himself is saying was to undermine his credibility as a fact witness, as ben was alluding to. the other thing we have tomorrow is we have not heard from the inspector general. we have heard from jeff sessions, the attorney general. someone who, of course, is not unbiassed. and we don't have to go that far back in history, in fact, only to this week to recall what happened to rex tillerson and the differing accounts we heard from the white house and wh

ben wittes, thank you as always. >>> coming up, when growing up seems to be part of the problem.ievable. it's next. ♪ whether it's a big thing, small thing, or something unexpected, pnc will be right there when you need us. because when it comes to your finances, if you focus on today, tomorrow has a way of working itself out. if you focus on today, thisat red lobsterest. with exciting new dishes like dueling lobster tails and lobster truffle mac & cheese. classics like lobster lover's dream are here too. so enjoy these 10 lobsterlicious dishes while you can because lobsterfest won't last. ancestrydna can pinpoint where your ancestors are from... and the paths they took to a new home. could their journey inspire yours? order your kit at ancestrydna.com you may be at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia, that can take you out of the game for weeks, even if you're healthy. pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease that in severe cases can lead to hospitalization. it may hit quickly, without warning, causing you to miss out on the things you enjoy m

matt miller, ben wittes, gentlemen, thank you very much. >> thank you. >>> up next, new details from our nbc news colleagues about several key figures in trump world and their role in hiring cambridge an lit kachlt they have been accused of stealing personal data from millions of people on facebook. (vo) dogs have evolved, but their nutritional needs remain instinctual. that's why there's purina one true instinct. real meat #1. a different breed of natural nutrition. purina one true instinct. now, try new purina one true instinct treats. it was always our singular focus, a distinct determination. to do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. to fight cancer. and never lose sight of the patients we're fighting for. our cancer treatment specialists share the same vision. experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. specialists focused on treating cancer. using advanced technologies. and more precise treatments than before. working as hard as we can- doing all that we can- for everyone who walks through our doors. this is c

. >> ben wittes, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. >> let's get to that breaking news from wall street i mentioned a moment ago. the dow has dropped 500 points, 530 now following the president's announcement that he plans to impose stiff tariffs of imports of aluminum and steel. here he was a short time ago. >> we'll probably have everything completed by next week. we'll be imposing tariffs on steel imports and tariffs on aluminum imports. you're going to see a lot of good things happen. it'll be 25% for steel, 10% for aluminum. it'll be for a long period of time. >> stephanie, he had been saying for a long time he wants all steel to be american steel. >> when he has that announcement next week is he going to have a moroc mork and mindy reunion? it's straight out of the '80s. he's going to end up putting america last. whether you're talking about wilbur ross or peter navarro who might think china is gaging an economic war against us, they're right, but we're not even showing up to this fight in a smart way. you saw the president tweet about it this morning. there's all this

. >> ben wittes, thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >>> and next up, the if the presidente-to-face with rocket man, what can he actually accomplish. >>> and the cia director said north korea, is quote, allowing us to continue military exercises. do we, the united states, need permission from north korea to do that? we're about to move. karate helps... relieve some of the house-buying... stress. at least you don't have to worry about homeowners insurance. call geico. geico... helps with... homeowners insurance? been doing it for years. i'm calling geico right now. good idea! get to know geico. and see how easy homeowners and renters insurance can be. smile dad. i take medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol. but they might not be enough to protect my heart. adding bayer aspirin can further reduce the risk of another heart attack. because my second chance matters. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. your insurance on time. tap one little bumper, and up go your rates. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? ne

. >> ben wittes, thank you, nbc legal analyst. appreciate the time. >> thank you. >> >>> sweeping condemnation from those taking issue with the firing of andrew mccabe. my next guest says the president is scared of what mccabe has to say. i'll talk with congressman ted lue next. powerfully efficient and one more thing the world comes with it ♪you can go your own way... the 2019 jeep cherokee fthere's flonase sensimist.tchy and watery near pollen. it relieves all your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist. or a c-anything-o. but i've got an idea sir. get domo. it'll connect us to everything that's going on in the company. get it for jean who's always cold. for the sales team, it and the warehouse crew. give us the data we need. in one place, anywhere we need it. help us do our jobs better. with domo we can run this place together. well that's that's your job i guess. ♪ a wealth of information. a wealth of perspective. ♪ a wealth of opport

. >>> ben ja man wittes is a legal analyst and editor-in-chief of the law fair blog. the news from the "wall street journal." the president's attorney pushes back on this idea. the headline was trump's lawyers seek deal we lawyer tore seek end to russia probe. the most comical nugget was the idea of trading an the president's availability for a date certain deadline to wrap up the investigation. do you think that's going to fly? >> well, the fact that you found it amusing is sort of gives a sort of answer to the question. look, federal investigations don't end by negotiation on timelines for interviews with subjects of the investigation. that's not how it works. the mueller investigation will end when bob mueller's done. and the president, short of the ability to fire him, in has really no ability to control that. it's not up to him. no matter what he thinks. and so his lawyers certainly have some leverage to you know, to negotiate the terms of an interview or the terms in which he would answer questions to the investigation, but that is not a condition they're going

witt at msnbc world headquarters in new york city. andrew mccabe was fired 26 hours before his expected retirement. democratic senator ben cardin had this to say. >> to fire someone just before his retirement date is very suspicious. it looks like it's politically vindictive. i think there's a lot of questions as to how much the trump administration will try to influence the independence of the department of justice and the fbi. yes, i think there's a chilling impact on individuals who are trying to do their work at the department of justice and at the fbi. >> and on twitter, former cia director john brennan called mccabe a scapegoat for the trump administration and one democrat on the house intelligence committee warns the president, gloat now but you will soon be fired. meanwhile, attorney general jeff sessions defending the firing, accusing mccabe of lacking candor and making unauthorized disclosures. a new statement coming from the president's personal attorney, john dowd, telling nbc news he hopes deputy attorney rosenstein will end the russia probe in light of recent revelations. democratic leader chuck schumer war