joining me now is criminal defense attorney brian weiss and former federal prosecutor paul butler. ou both for being here. >> it's great oto be here. >> brian hastert pleaded not guilty. your reaction. >> not surprised at all, al. first of all, he hires the heavy-hitter like thomas green, a made guy, like we say, in the mob. i don't think he hired him to roll over. i also think thomas green recognizes that his client is a sympathetic figure. i don't know a lot about criminal law, but i don't think congress intended the money laundering statute to apply to someone who is a victim of extortion and blackmail. anybody who has ever watched "law & order" repeat knows that this is a statute that's designed to reach money launderers, dope dealer terrorists, tax cheats but i don't think it was mebtant to reach someone in a position that dennis hastert found himself today in the federal building today. >> what is your take? >> this is a slam dunk for the prosecutor prosecution prosecution. we don't know what speaker hastert did but it was worth $3.5 million of his money so we didn't find out.

brian weiss and paul butler thank you for your time tonight. >> always a pleasure. >>> thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. >>> hard to starboard. the offshore warning for secretary hillary clinton. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. the battle for hillary clinton's heart and mind is on. bernie sanders threatens from the left. if she doesn't move her course to port she should fear getting stuck on the sand bar of centrism. now comes the warnings from the right and right of center. if hillary clinton doesn't bolt to starboard she risks heading over the abyss, they say. which way should she turn left right or all-ahead full? betry woodruff daily beast, and patrick healy "new york times" reporter. according to politico her supporters worry she might start sounding a lot like bernie sanders than elizabeth warren. "my fear is that she is just going to get pulled too far left by people who want her to just hammer the banks and stand in opposition to all these things she's against." politico reports "clinton aides and outsiders