i'm also joined by sal wi wisenberg, bob bower, and car carol lee here onset, eugene robinson. ken, let me start with you, you're outside, we have reporting going on inside and outside, judge ellis, we know he enjoys moments in the sun. is this going to be a very drawn out process in the next hour? >> it appears so, chuck. two things have happened already at the starting of the hearing that i think set the tone. one is that paul administramana wheeled in in a green jump suit. his days of $10,000 suits are over. she going to prison for some time, most likely a long time. the judge started the hearing by saying to the courtroom that paul manafort is not going to be sentenced here for anything to do with russian collusion. that speaks to the unanswered question that's will loom over the proceeding. many of the key questions we have about where paul manafort fits in, if at all with any kind of conspiracy with russia, that is not what this case is about. he was convicted here in virginia. tax and bank fraud, failure for foreign bank accounts. well before the trump campaign. he was c

joining us to talk about it tonight, a man with experience in this area, long-time washington lawyer bob bower, who happens to be former white house counsel to president obama. counselor, so many questions there. does that mean when the president's best buddy says there's not going to be a privilege invocation, do you take that as gospel, number one. number two, just clue our viewers in to a working definition of executive privilege. and do you foresee it being invoked? >> first of all, i wouldn't take what senator graham said to the bank. the president can say this today and he could say something else tomorrow. the attorney general could consult with him and tell the president that as a matter of sound executive practice the report really needs to be reviewed for executive privilege, that these are claims that the president shouldn't lightly waive. who's to say what will happen? so i think we'll know when we know. as to your second question, executive privilege is designed to promote the confidentiality of certain communications. communications that are made directly with the president. othe