i agree with general petraeus. we applaud them for doing the right thing in the end, but the process really does justify examination. >> it does, because on one hand i'm loathed to talk about this because i think these actions prove that our president wanted to make himself the center piece of a story that was not about him at all. on the other hand, i'm glad that you bring it up because otherwise the type of behavior becomes increasingly normalized. and i think it's why that beautiful tribute that senator mccain wrote before he passed resonated with so many people, which is at the core of his work was service, and he came back to that idea. service, however imperfect, was what drove him. and that is not what is driving this white housing. it is not what is driving this president. and it is also hard to believe it is what is driving the staff. >> general petraeus, i want to get to you in one more point and we're going to take a peek and listen to senator mcconnell who is on the floor now honoring senator mccain, hi

petraeus: well, it is a bit inexplicable.here are times when one should rise above differences, and death is one of ts se times. itartening to see the flag eventually lowered and the president read a proclamation because i'm a very much of mine with my old shipmate and buddy for military times, jim mattis, on the extraordinarnalegacy that r mccain leaves. katty: what impact does his best have on the u.s. military? he was a huge supporter of u.s. troops and visited them constantly arounwathe world and a big supporter of u.s. engagement around the world. he did stand up to generals when he thought it was necessary, wh different suspending or most famously on torture. i cannot think of someone else the senate who has tha position. gen. petraeus: well, he had great moral authority on a number of topics. given his own service and his time as a prisoner of war, when he came to the issue of torture -- and i might note that i was very much with him on that particular issue for a variety of reasons. thankfully, he was one of the great

of the cia, david petraeus, senatorjohn mccain, will be speaking about the lasting legacy of the us senatorjohn mccain, who died on the weekend. and we'll get more on the fire in belfast that has destroyed a historic building in the city — which has existed for nearly 250 years. that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm hugh woozencroft. what's eating jose? we'll look at what's next for manchester united boss after another premier league defeat. i won more premierships alone than the other 19 managers together. three for me, and two for them. respect. respect, respect, respect. both jamie vardy and gary cahill choose to step away from international football as gareth southgate prepares to name his first england squad

joining us for more on the military and foreign policy legacy is retired general david petraeus.eral petraeus, we're paying tribute to senator mccain at a ceremony at the naval academy at annapol annapolis. i feel like it must be a true tribute to your friendship and one last joke that he's inviting an army guy to deliver a tribute on the ground of the naval academy but it must be so meaningful to you. >> it is. especially as a west point graduate. it will be a great honor to recall the extraordinary feeling our men and women in uniform had for him. they knew no one had their back partisan than he did. they knew no one was doing more to ensure they had the means to prevail in the combat of the post-member wars. he was out there with us all the time. every recess, even when campaigning. he was out with us every fourth of july. i noted yesterday to someone that i was in iraq or afghanistan for seven of the ten fourth of july after 9/11. he was there for all of those and the others as well. our troops loved him and they knew he loved them. >> you say he had their backs. he had your

general petraeus had the courage to go ahead with the surge and put petraeus in charge of it. and john mccain was right there with the president making sure that general petraeus got the support he needed and the surge worked. >> andrew card, former chief of staff for george w. bush. thank you for sharing your stories of john mccain, as we remember him and this loss of a very prominent american. a grand american, as andrea mitchell said earlier this evening. we have statements also from other presidents that have been coming in that we've just received here, at msnbc. this one from barack obama. he says, john mccain and i were members of different generations. we came from different backgrounds and competed at the highest level of politics. but we shared a fidelity to something higher, the ideals for what generations of americans and immigrants have fought alike. we saw our political battles as an opportunity to serve's stewards of the high ideals at home and to advance them through the world. we saw this country as a place where anything is possible and citizenship as our pat

retired general, david petraeus also former director of the cia. and general petraeus, john mccain, son and grandson of admirals as we said, military royalty in so many ways, and his first loyalty always seemed to be to his fellow service people. >> well, it was. very much so. no one had the backs of america's greatest generation, those who fought the wars of the post-9/11 period than he did. no one did more to assure they had what was needed to prevail on the battlefield, and we spent a lot of quality time together in the decade after 9/11 and iraq, afghanistan, the greater central command region. he and the other members of the three amigos were out there with us every fourth of july. i was there in seven of those ten fourth of julys and i think he was there for all of them. a truly extraordinary giant of the senate, and really of the country. >> and defined by so many fights in his long career, one of his last great fights, the fight against torture. >> yes. and i must say that this is something that i stood absolutely with him on. i felt that n

. >>> retired general david petraeus was a top military leader under two presidents and led the u.s. surge in iraq and spent an awful lot of time in the middle east with senator john mccain in the years after nev -- 9/11 he spent july 4th with him. thank you for being here. your thoughts on how you want to remember john mccain and what you want america and everyone out there lacening -- listening to know about your friend. >> from someone privileged to command america's sons and daughters in iraq, afghanistan and the greater middle east, i want to remember no one had their backs, our backs, more than he did. during the whole period of the wars in the post 9/11 period. no one did more to ensure we had what we need to prevail. no one was with us, literally, as well as figuratively more than he was. as mentioned, he was out every congressional recess and 4th of july and i celebrated consecutive 4th of julys out there and a truly extraordinary american and not just a leader in washington but in the world and his belief in the freedoms and ideals and america should continue to lead the ru

chelsea manning when in two thousand and fifteen they didn't have a single problem with general petraeus who right after he copped a plea and centrally you know pled guilty to to doing what should what chelsea did but at least he did it for a noble reason david petraeus just did it to impress his girlfriend and he gets to go to us yeah this is of so going to do weird to me until i make that and it's like you go what these people you're going to want like sir or mongers are going to let these people in but you.

chelsea manning when in two thousand and fifteen they didn't have a single problem with general petraeus who right after he copped a plea and centrally you know pled guilty to to doing what should what chelsea did but at least he did it for a noble reason david petraeus just did it to impress his girlfriend and he gets to go to us this is so we're going to do we're digging into the makeup and it's like you go to these people you're going to want like sure mongers are going to let these people in but you're not going you know a rights advocate a whistleblower you know and those readings he was going on with i mean we're not talking about a group are just. i mean isn't maureen dowd for god's sake is on the list i mean it's pretty ridiculous now her supporters are striking back and calling this. an executive director of human rights last summer told the guardian australia quote as a democracy we should be encouraging not banning public contributions from people like chelsea manning clare malam some of amnesty international's last national director in australia also by refusing her entry of

a noble reason david petraeus just did it to impress his girlfriend and he gets to go to us yeah this is of so going to be weird to me until i make oxygen and it's like you know what these people you're going to want like zero mongers are going to let these people in but you're not going to let you know a rights advocate in a whistleblower you know in those readings he was going on with i mean we're not talking about a group are just very very mild and i mean isn't the point daoud for god's sake is on the list right i mean it's pretty ridiculous now her supporters are striking back and calling this. an executive director of human rights last summer told the guardian australia quote as a democracy we should be encouraging not banning public contributions from people like chelsea manning clare malam some of amnesty international's last national director in australia also by refusing her entry of the australian government would send a chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government i'm sure australians don't want anyone thinking that they will not allow the freedo

out of sheer determination after a visit to iraq where general petraeus allowed him to talk in july to 600 people are going to reenlist in a war they did not have to continue to fight and about equal number were becoming citizens because they were fighting for their country and had expedited citizenship, two empty chairs in the front were boots and john asked, what is that all about? the two didn't make it to the ceremony but were given their citizenship that day. i remember about 2,000 soldiers wanting a photo and every one of them got it. i remember being so hot i couldn't breathe but we stayed anyway. i remember coming back and getting the nomination only to lose. i remember that night very well. he had wanted to be president. he was prepared to be president. but it was not his to have. and i remember above all levels the speech he gave that night. john taught us how to lose. when you go throughout the world, people remember his concession speech as much as anything else. there are so many countries where you can't afford to lose because they'll kill you. and john said that night, p

i'm talking to david petraeus, former leader of the troops in iraq.elationship with john mccain. petraeus signed on to the letter among the security chiefs saying that john brennan and others should not lose their security clearances. we have a lot going on this morning. very nice to see you. laura, welcome. welcome to new york. >> thanks, john. >>> see you in a bit. alan dershowitz on "new day" also. >>> and striking a deal to rework nafta. the mexican president on the phone and trump announced the bilateral deal yesterday. >> they used to call it nafta. we will call it the united states/mexico trade agreement. we will get rid of the name nafta. it had a bad connotation. >> it cost hundreds of thousands of a of u.s. jobs. this sets higher labor standards and requires north america cars with parts made in the u.s. and mexico parts. >> we've created a situation where there's more u.s. jobs, but there also will be more mexican jobs because we're going to squeeze out people who are not in the region. so it's a big, big win for manufacturers. >> squeezing

in the administration. >> for a long time. >> the president wants petraeus on his team. he signed on to that letter and mccraven who is a guy who is seen as something separate from politics completely and revered in military and intelligence circles writes a scathing letter. these are three guys -- those guys are unique. >> and mccraven went a step further and said it would be a badge of honor if you take mine as well, not just saying i don't like you did but fine, take it, it's not so coveted that we'll cower in fear. because that is the message the president is trying to send, i could drop this on you at any moment and you should be worried. >> rudy giuliani trying to further that line to stop conversation about this being about free speech but giuliani putting out the point that if you don't need a clearance if you're advising the president, what is interesting is having these officials sign on to it. barbara starr pointing out mccraven is much more than the osama bin laden guy. yes, that's important but as barbara said in the note, this speaks to on the day something

you don't want to be against mcraven and petraeus. i know general petraeus personally.nistan, i understand the issues. lt i don't like the attack on the intelligence agencies. le i didn't like it in helsinki. i don't like it now. what i'd say to the president is you've got to rank and file in the intelligence agency. by and large those people are very supportive of you but there's three or four pin dots at the top that you think weaponized against you. they probably did and have probably wanted to do it for 1350 years. easier to tag it now because of the fish bowl gach of everything that's going on with our social media, etc. i would tell the. that if you really understand the 75-year historical context post world war ii order, i think it's a bad move. i know john brennan personally. he's been to my conference. i want to make sure i fully disclose that. i've sat in on intelligence briefings with him and i have a lot of respect for him. i'm going to tell you something. these guys, chris -- >> you sat in on briefings with him. when? >> we have been -- i know, when i was a

this includes webster, panetta and petraeus. just this morning, former defense secretary robert gates added his name to that list. the group's scathing letter describes the president's move as an act of political vengeance, saying, quote, we all agree that the president's actions regarding brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials have nothing to do with who should or should not hold security clearances and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech. and that's not all. retired navy admiral william mccraven, the man who oversaw the raid that killed bin laden, also wrote a letter, challenging the president to revoke his security clearance too. saying it would be an honor if he did so. but the president appears to be unfazed by all of the high-level pushback. "the washington post" reports he's gearing up to strip even more officials of their security clearances and that could happen soon, saying, quote, as part of an escalating attack against people who criticized him or played a role in

york is former cia director —and former head of us central command in afghanistan — general david petraeuse hole butjohn mccain leads in the pentagon in a second but what you make of president trump and his conduct in the past 2a hours? it is inexplicable, the sleep there are times when one should rise above differences and i think that death is one of those times and so it is heartening to see the flag eventually lowered and the president reading the proclamation because i'm very much of the mind with my old shipmate and buddy from military timesjim shipmate and buddy from military times jim mattis on shipmate and buddy from military timesjim mattis on the extraordinary legacy left by senator mccain. what impact does his death have on the us military because as we said he was a huge supporter of us troops, he visited them co nsta ntly a rou nd us troops, he visited them constantly around the world and he was a big supporter of us engagement around the world but he did stand up to generals when he felt necessary whether on an issue like defence spending or most famously on torture. i canno

to restore some kind of civil order and security in the country working very closely with general petraeus and and working with the sunni population in iraq that turned the tide in iraq and actually laid the foundations for more successful iraq and forward in the other cases afghanistan and the gulf war i think he stands by those decisions as what was necessary at the time what he's always focused on or whatever is the exit queue sion of our missions he was also a dedicated supporter of israel and he condemned us un resolutions condemning israel and settlements and so on. what do you see as see. his vision on the israeli palestinian conflict. was did he care about the fate of palestinians and you know what was his view. about this conflict and how it could be resolved. well that's a great question because you're absolutely right betty to a very close very strong relationship with israel at the same time is a very strong and close relationships with allies in the arab world as well for president or sort of king abdullah of jordan to the king of saudi arabia the crown prince there now egypt

i know he was a big fan of general petraeus and george w. bush, president bush came to recognize petraeus for the leadership that he ended up giving which was remarkable and it did make a difference. that relationship was important. but you know, john mccain didn't go to washington to make friends. he went to do good things. and so sometimes he had a hard time making friends and even some of his good friends had their relationships strained over the years. i remember chuck hagel, very, very close to john mccain. then hel had a strained relationship and then they came back together again as friends. the same thing with lindsey graham and others in the senate. that was the way it was with george w. bush. but president george w. bush has great respect for the work that john mccain did and the leadership he gave. i know the whole bush clan and the entire bush political family really respects john mccain for weather did for this country. as a unable aviator, as a prisoner of war, as someone who defended democracy and worked pore democracy and ser

to restore some kind of civil order and security in the country working very closely with general petraeus and and working with the sunni population in iraq that turned the tide in iraq and actually laid the foundations for more successful iraq going forward in the other cases afghanistan and the gulf war i think he stands by those decisions as what was necessary at the time what he's always focused on the whatever is the exit queue ssion of our missions. ok let's bring you more on our breaking news story that's the shooting at a video game convention in jacksonville florida our correspondent andy gallagher now joins us on the line from miami andy what more can you tell us. well the latest one we're getting here from the jacksonville police is that the suspect in this shooting is now dead the figures being released by the sheriff's office well that four people have been killed eleven injured in jacksonville learning the police are still warning local residents to stay away from the area because in these situations please don't assume because one suspect has taken his own life that they wer

some of the folks that could be targeted, 12 former officials including david petraeus. they signed a letter of support for brennan saying it was an attempt to stifle free speech. >>> former white house aid omarosa says it proves how the white house tried to buy her silence after she was fired. she could have as much as 200 tapes. >>> meanwhile it is day two of the jury deliberations for paul manafo manafort. and we're remembering the queen of soul. tributes pouring in from around the world. the legend died at age 76. we begin our coverage this morning from abby phillip. >> the president may be feeling empowered after stripping officials of their security clearances, but they're vowing their not going to be intimidated or stop criticizing the president. >> the president trump gearing up to strip more security clearances from officials linked to the investigation. the nine intelligence officials under review are at risk of losing their clearances in the coming days. it comes after the president decided to take the security clearance of john brennan. mccraven insisting tha

to discuss this now, former intelligent adviser to general petraeus.el, let me ask you very quickly, you know, could we really sanction china if they continued to trade with iran? >> well, china has been pouring billions of dollars into iran's economy because europe has been hihesitant to engage iran's economy. at the end of the day, if the u.s. is serious about putting sanctions on china for moving iran's oil and continuing to help iran's economy, you could actually put pressure on china because iran's economy is a shrinking economy, a $400 billion economy that isn't worth it to rushing sha and rus. we'll have to see if the administration is serious about it. adam: let me ask you this. we saw they announced yesterday they were going to freeze their production in iran. the european union came out against what the united states is doing, even germany saying this is the wrong action to take. and yet the german central bank stopped the shipment of $400 million in cash to iran. essentially the germans are saying one thing but doing something else which is

the former intelligence advisor to general petraeus. the mainstream media is in a real uproar. this is an attempt to snuff out free speech. as someone high up who knew so much about the nation's security systems, that brennan should always be in touch and always have access and vice versa. and the folks in charge now should have access. >> the issue with brennan's clearance is he constantly hints he has access to intelligence. by taking away his clearance it calls him on his bluff. if your clearance is revoked, you can't go into a classified briefing in the future. there is you a different from being red off from a clearance. but if it's revoked, you can't come into a national security meeting. this is a powerful move for somebody who has used his clearance to politicize information on the president. charles: wet associated press tweeted out this news. even brenner tweeted out that he has become partisan. we know he's not a pro-trump person and he's saying he was abusing his privilege. >> he was. those of us who have been in and out of clearances. there is a bedrock principle w

well, fact is that we have never recovered from the awful decision that president obama made when petraeuscchrystal came forward to him, made a recommendation, put in play a counter insurgency strategy, he agreed with, then they told him we need minimum forces to accomplish that winning strategy is 40,000 troops, he cut that by 25 percent, and said i'm pulling troops out in 15 months we have never recovered from that decision. that doomed afghanistan to the path we're on now, to president trump, his national security team, they know they don't have a winning hand, what the president decides to do is said i'm not going to arbitrarily withdraw, i will stay the course, strengthen afghan national army as best i with advisers, what is not stated we'll try to convince taliban they can't win, and we'll be able to maybe win at the negotiating table. and end this politically. that is kind of what the strategy is that unfolded, the problem is that, taliban has initiative, freedom of movement, at times they can go out, attack where they want and undermine the government. lou: small outpost, did fall

officials who signed this letter serve both republican and democratic presidents and include people like petraeusred for a position by president trump. on top of this 60 former cia officerses have written a letter oof their own also rebuking trump's decision. but the washington post reporting that none of this push back may matter because the white house has already drafted the documents needed to revoke even more clearances. all they need is the president's signature. so before we go any further i want to look at who issued these clearances and why they get to keep them even after they leave the government. >> what precisely are security clearances and where did they come from? security clearances are issued by many government agencies come in several different levels offering access to sensitive or high level material and even if you have a highest level material, you will likely see only materials you need know about. who gets security clearances? as a practicate matter they go to people intimately involved in the safety and defense of the united states and its allies. there could be infrastru

among those calling the president out is general petraeus whom you know the president has repeatedly praised. and if the white house was hoping this clearance fight would overshadow the feud with ex-aide omarosa manigault-newman, they were wrong. it's believed the white house aide has as many as 200 tape recordings of her time in the white house. also we're on verdict watch. minutes from now a jury reconvenes to deliberate in the trial of ex-trump campaign chairman paul manafort. we'll take you live to the courthouse in moments but let's begin at the white house on this clearance battle. abby phillip is there. we knew a laundry list of people were at risk of losing their clearance. but now we know more about why. >> the reason we know more about why is that the president himself knows why. he believed all these people are involved with the russia investigation. now we're learning the president is interested in moving forward with this list of nine individuals in addition to john brennan who they identified as being at risk of losing their clearance, the president feeling emboldened b

out of sheer determination after a visit to iraq where general petraeus allowed him to talk in july to people that were going to reenlist in a war that they didn't have to continue to fight and about equal number were coming citizens because they were fighting for their country and had expedited citizenship, two empty chairs in the fronts were boots. john asked, what is that all about? two different make to it the ceremony but they were given their citizenship that day. i remember about 2,000 soldiers wearing a photo. every one of them got it. i remember being so hot, i couldn't breathe but we stayed anyway. i remembered coming back and getting the nomination only to lose. i remember that night very well. he had wanted to be president, he was prepared to be president, but it was not his to have. i remember of all levels, the speech he gave that night. john taught us how to lose. when you go throughout the world, people remember his concession speech as much as anything else. there's so many countries where you can't afford to lose because they kill you. john said that night, president

general petraeus, a very distinguished military career. these are people who have served in difficult places, put their own lives at risk, and have actually had to, unfortunately, you know, send back the young sons and daughters of the united states who have been very, very patriotic by giving up their own lives. this is the strength of feel and concerns that you had that are causing people to speak out like this. >> the white house can't seem to get the story straight. in "wall street journal," the president blamed the russia investigation, calling it a rigged witch-hunt, and these people let it, so i think it's something that had to be done, and sarah sanders' explanation on wednesday. >> any benefits that senior officials may glean from consultations with mr. brennan are now outweighed by the risk of his erratic conduct and behavior. >> i've got to take the president at his word, which sounds strange, except that whenever he speaks it's usually what's foremost in his mind. i believe he did this because of his concern about the russia in

and former cia chief general david petraeus sits down for a rare interview and shares what he'll rememberout john mccain. >> i'd been confirmed to go to iraq to command the surge. my aide handed me the phone and said senator mccain wants to talk to you. i thought this was going to be

and former cia chief general david petraeus sits down for a rare interview and shares what he'll remember most about john mccain. >> i'd been confirmed to go to iraq to command the surge. my aide handed me the phone and said senator mccain wants to talk to you. i thought this was going to be a warm con congratulatory call. i said, senator, thanks so much for all you did to support me through this process. he said, when you leave? i said, senator? he said, when do you go to baghdad? i said, i go back to kansas and wrap things up. he hung up. he was impatient. he was relentless. he was determined. no one had our backs more than he did. >> we start in a state that's been under the spotlight since saturday. today th today, the same day arizona is preparing to pay tribute to john mccain, republicans in the grand canyon state are going to the polls for the other senate seat, the one big vacated by jeff flake. what's really fascinating about today's contest is that it speaks to what we've been discussing since mccain's death. what and where is the heart and soul of the republican party? both in

out of shear determination after a visit to iraq where general petraeus allowed him to talk in july to00 people who are going to reenlist in a war they did not have to continue to fight and about equal number becoming citizens because they were fighting for their country and had expedited citizenship. two empty chairs in the front with boots and john asked, what is that all about? two different make it to the ceremony but they were given their citizenship that day. i remember about 2,000 soldiers wanting a photo. and every one of them got it. i remember being so hot i couldn't breathe but we stayed anyway. i remember coming back an getting the nomination only to lose. i remember that night very well. he had wanted to be president. he was prepared to be president. but it was not his to have. and i remember above all else the speech he gave that night. john taught us how to lose. when you go throughout the world, people remember his concession speech as much as anything else. there's so many countries where you can't afford to lose because they kill you. and john said that night, preside

we're talking about david petraeus, michael hayden, george tinnet, leon panetta. a who's who of directors that signed the letter. they say this is about silencing critics of the president. i'd like to share quickly a quote from that letter. it reads this. "we all agree the president's actions regarding john brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials has nothing to do with what should or should not hold security clearances and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech. trace? >> kevin, president trump also brought up special counsel robert mueller today. >> yes, he did. the president has made it clear, he feels like at the very minimum the special counsel is conflicted. the president laying out this idea that he's not only friends with james comey but he has a number of entanglements that should make him cautious about how he proceeds. that said, the president has agreed, look, i'll let this play out but he didn't just say that he also seemed to throw shade at the special counsel's way. here he is. >> sadly, mr. mueller is

you got guys like petraeus. even mark hurtling who also works for this network. these are military people who have done the hard thing, risked their lives. sent america's sons and daughters home in caskets. who gave the ultimate sacrifice. when those guys stand up and say look, this is going against the essence of what is america, the ability to stand up and politically criticize people. that's a very serious thing. so this is a spreading concern throughout the president's and this country's national apparatus. not just intelligence but also military as well now. >> you heard the president's response yesterday where he says, you know, he's not silencing anybody. if anything, he gave john brennan a bigger voice, the words of the president, by removing the security clearance. all right, steve hall, thanks so much. appreciate it. >> sure, my pleasure. >>> all right, still ahead, she was and forever will be the queen of soul. now many remembering the life and legacy of aretha franklin as memorial plans take shape. but first, new attacks in afghanistan disrupting long

george tenet, porter goss, michael hayden, leon panetta, david petraeus, robert gates, james clapper. this is a serious list of people, many of whom, whatever your poll tickles, are titics ao kept us safe after 9/11. they're saying the president is wrong. to be clear, a lot of them think john brennan has become too partisan. a lot of them would tell you they think john brennan has become too much of a democrat in what he says on television. but they say that's not the point. this is america. he has that first amendment right. the president is sending a chilling sign when he says, i took his security clearance, now i'm looking for somebody else. >> this is a remarkable letter. this is from members who served in the significant positions in the national security apparatus, the intelligence security apparatus under democratic and republican presidents. most of them have been quiet, have not spoken out. this is something they're really sticking their neck out and telling the president he's, quote, stifling free speech. when the president says he's getting rave reviews, not just fox news,

bush administration, porter goss, cia director under bush, hayden under bush, petraeus, one of the most significant and important generals on the battle field in iraq architect of the counterinsurgency strategy there, and gates who served as secretary of defense for george w. bush and president obama. not a lot of people from the resistance on that list, not a one. so he's now at war with people who have -- who had -- i haven't tested it lately -- a sizeable impact on the republican presidency, the last one before his, as well as people with a lot of credibility inside the circles of sort of vanquished republicans who used to have a say over the direction of their party. >> he's always been at war with them. the difference is it was not open war and they hadn't been fighting back. he's been attacking them as a class, sometimes individually, for many, many months. as you point out, suspicion of people in this world go back to before he became president. by the time he was president-elect he was attacking this group. now he has gone so far with the brennan decision, although i would say i

general david petraeus, former cia chief was one of them. the president doesn't seem to be swayed by that. >> no, he doesn't. we shouldn't forget here, that senator richard burr, the senate intelligence committee chairman is also very supportive of this decision. the way they see it is that former director brennan is going on national television day after day impugning the president's character and hinting at secret information about how the president has been colluded with russia. -- has been colluding with russia. based on that information which is of course secret and he cannot reveal. the way they see it he is exploiting the use of his security clearance and his supposed access to these documents or his supposed access to these past documents as a way to push a political narrative against the president, which he never once testified to under oath before congress. so they are saying that his use of that authority is an abuse of the security clearance process that it gives a veneer of authenticity to what he's saying. and so they would lik

over years, the obama administration had one, david petraeus, and it was a misdemeanor.nally, campaign experts say that thanks to cohen naming him, president trump could be considered an unindicted co-conspirator in cohen's crime. the last time a sitting president held that title? richard nixon. that's your reality check. >> gee, john, when you lay it out like that you make kind of a compelling case. >> best at what? pleading guilty, some of them seem to be good at. >> miniature golf, perhaps. >> great john, great reality check. john avlon, thank you very much. facebook says it has taken down hundreds of pages linked to russia and iran that are believed to be part of a coordinated disinformation campaign ahead of november's midterm elections. cnn's alex marquardt is live with more. >> global is the key word. this goes beyond efforts to meddle in the u.s., it goes beyond just russia's efforts. facebook is saying it took down 652 pages trying to spread disinformation in the uk, the middle east, latin america as well as the u.s. some pages were russian but many were from ir

republican jeff flake, plus democratic leader nancy pelosi and the former head of the cia, general david petraeusthat's all coming up later this morning on "this week" right here on abc. thank you. >> thank you. >> you touched on this briefly, but not only was senator john mccain unafraid to challenge senators in his own party, he formed deep bonds with those he disagreed with politically. >> vice president joe biden saying overnight, above everything else, john was a friend. here's an emotional moment when vice president biden appeared on "the view" and spoke to mccain's daughter, meghan. >> your son, beau, had the same cancer that my father was diagnosed with six months ago, and i'm sorry. >> but, look, one of the things that gave beau courage, my word, was john. your dad -- you may remember when you were a little kid, your dad took care of my beau. your dad, when he was a mil aide and worked with me, became friends with beau, and beau talked about your dad's courage. not about illness, but about his courage, and if anybody can make it, your dad -- her dad is one of my best friends. [ applause

then-cia director david petraeus who pled guilty to removing classified information in connection with an affair. george w. bush, eight members of his administration got caught up in the jack abramoff lobbying scandals. there were 21 guilty pleas and ten prison sentences including scooter libby who was later pardoned by president trump. bill clinton's administration was definitely beset by self-inflicted scandal, but in terms of actual convictions, there were two, former hud secretary henry sis narrow police guilty to a misdemeanor for lying about investigators to payments to a former mistress and the chief of staff in the agriculture department scooped up into the investigation about mike espy. espy was acquitted on all counts and is running for senate in mississippi. bush 41, only one conviction but it was the u.s. treasurer on charges of tax evasion, obstruction and making false statements. it might surprise some of reagan's acolytes that his administration saw a whopping 24 convictions and guilty pleas largely related to the iran-contra scandal. some were safe from jail time thanks