or midnight to get isakson to fly back and then cast his vote in support of mike pompeo.ith the outcome certain, but just very much delayed, democratic senator chris coons offered to vote yes. what did you think of that gesture in committee? >> that's typical of chris. it was a courtesy gesture to johnny isakson and to the committee rather than reconvening last night at 11:15, which was the other alternative. instead there was an ability -- on a bipartisan basis, in the foreign relations committee to find a resolution of it that was respectful, especially of johnny isakson and his need to deliver the eulogy for his best friend at his funeral. >> it seems like such a rarity that these kind gestures happen, maybe at least in public. that bob corker the chair of the committee, he was visibly moved afterward. just for viewers if they haven't had a chance to see it, i want to play for you bob corker after the committee meeting and chris coons explaining his reasoning why he did it for johnny isakson. >> i particularly want to thank the senator for displaying the statesmanship

everyone is here except for senator isakson of georgia. the center of delaware had been delayed getting there, but arrived in time for the vote. we'll stay here life as they were to resolve the issue. live coverage on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> this is the state of play. the road regarding numbers being present is not a committee rule, it is a senate rule. therefore, committee action cannot overrule that. senator isakson's plane landed at 10:50 p.m., and we cannot with the meeting open until that time. the reason for doing that would be, as i mentioned in my introductory comments -- it does appear that mike pompeo has the votes to become secretary of state. with knowledge that we have members -- democratic members, that will be voted on a positive way. if we wait until tomorrow morning to vote, which we can do -- and that version our writing members and others for

will have airman, great deal of respect for senator isakson. a secretaryte for of state, and the parliamentary has told us a voice vote that is , is not and 10 vote vote that can move forward to the floor. would create in the affirmative on the far as it relates to nominee. would put us in the position of having to vote yes and we clearly don't support the floore to move to the with a positive recommendation. move by recorded vote. >> a recorded vote will still leave you in a tie of 10-10. we have all recorded our votes. every democrat has voted no. every republican has voted yes. we an i move that [indiscernible] >> adding that is when i get, and the other is that everybody has an opportunity. what i would do is ask for unanimous consent that, notwithstanding the rules of the committee, the nomination be sent to the floor with the vote as recorded here in the committee. >> reserving the right to object. my concern is beginning to set up residence the committee that can be used subsequently. the chair was to adjourn for a few minutes so we can

it required chris coons of delaware to vote present because johnny isakson couldn't make it there. it is seen by many as an act of bipartisanship. i'm wondering if you can reflect on that moment. >> i think it is an act of courtesy. our committee does try to work in a bipartisan manner and i think the reputation of the senate foreign relation s committee is that we do that. the circumstances are such that the committee supported pompeo, i did not. that is going to the floor of the united states senate. >> where you will once again vote against it, sir, correct? >> that's correct. i believe our secretary of state needs to be the top diplomat in our country. always recognizing that we should use diplomacy certainly before we use military. and mr. pompeo's record on iran, the record in regard to the paris climate talks, gives me grave concern as to whether he can carry out that responsibility. >> on the subject of iran, very much at the top of the meetings between the french leader emmanuel macron and president trump, we watched the arrival of president macron at the white house and o

and among them are two of our colleagues, johnny isakson and jon tester. senator isakson of georgia and senator tester of montana have helped to lead the veterans affairs committee over the past few days as it raises concerns and questions about the serious allegation made by men and women in uniform or retired active duty military. these concerns go directly to the ethics and integrity and character and ability of the president's nominee to be v.a. secretary, ronnie jackson, a rear admiral in the united states navy. there is no realistic path at this point to confirmation of admiral jackson. he should have a hearing if he wishes. he should be considered if he chooses, but the administration owes the american people as we8l as the senate answers to questions raised by the chairman and ranking member of the v.a. committee. i have talked to both of them about this investigation as well as the staff and have participated in their thinking and support their efforts to uncover the truth. facts are stubborn things. that's what ronald reagan said. it remains true

chairman, we have a great deal of respect for senator isakson. but, this is the vote of the secretary of the parliament he eight. has told us that a voice vote that is truly a 10-10 vote, is not a vote that can move forward to the floor, and would create an affirmative on the floor as it relates to the nominee. it would put us in a position of having to vote yes, when we clearly don't support the nominee. -- the floor with a positive recommendation. >> i would move by recorded vote. >> a recorded vote will still leave you in a tie. that is our problem. all recorded our votes. every democrat has voted no. every republican has voted yes. >> mr. chairman? >> yes? >> i think that is one idea. the other is everybody has a opportunity to express their vote ask for unanimous consent, notwithstanding the rules of the committee, that a nomination be sent to the floor with the vote as recorded here in the committee. >> reserving the right to object. my concern is beginning to set presidents within the committee that can be used subsequently. if the chair w

senator isakson: who is the background of the special envoy that's been named? is it an american? u.k. national. he has been involved in peace work. most in the u.k. who bring together negotiators, work on international solutions to problems like this. senator isakson: we need to give him and the help and encouragement to get that done because ultimately -- special envoys are usually an alternative to involving the problem. they are saying we did something like what happened in south sudan and the p.c.a. there. i hope we will work to -- move them forward at the u.n. and help bring that to a conclusion. mr. satterfield: that's our intent, sir. senator eyes arson: to the care people -- senator isakson: to the care people, yes, care does humanitarian, n.g.o. in many places, including yemen. they can't get well-intended aid, medical supplies to the people who need it because we don't have enough security to even give them that access. i've been to darfur. it's horrible. i hope we will get the n.g.o.'s that are trying to get the aid to the 23 million yemenese who are in trouble to them

continues with the politics of personal destruction. >> why was johnny isakson part of this, why are so many republicans concerned about these allegations? i agree, it's problematic if they're wrong. >> when it comes to politics of personal destruction and this president, there's a simple way to -- if the white house is so confident that he's been wronged, put his nomination up again. >> right. >> do it. >> send it back to the committee. if they think this is a complete scam and a lie and tester is doing this off the top of my head, they should put it back before the committee. >> you're missing point. >> what can he know about tester? maybe tester's private attorney paid a porn star $130,000. >> this is the problem. remember what happened with the senator from alaska, they came after him and years after he died -- >> ted stevens. >> ted stevens, he was exonerated. we destroy people's credibility. we tear people down. you be substantiated facts. stick it out there and it may or may not be true, give me a break. >> did you like when ted cruz' dad killed jfk? >> lock her up. >> hang on

senator coons did so as a gesture to senator isakson who could not be present for the vote because he was delivering a eulogy at his best friend's funeral. mr. president, this simple act of bipartisanship reminds me of the senate i used to know. the institution that lived worthy of its name and reputation as the world's greatest deliberative body. senator coons' vote brought us back from the precipice overlooking a partisan abyss. it was a timely reminder that this body is at its best when we put comity and respect head of partisanship. senator coons' gesture was characteristic of the person i know him to be, a class act, a loyal friend, and a true gentleman of the senate. may we all take a cue from yesterday's bipartisan display. our treatment of director compay crow in committee was embarrassing to say the least but now we have a second chance. now we have the opportunity to set things right by voting unanimously for his confirmation. i really urge all of my colleagues to do what's best for the senate and the nation by voting in favor of director pompeo's nomination. let's get rid o

the chair and the ranking member isakson and tester are good guys. they're not partisans.rous in this process. think jackson wil get a fair they'v been voices of tranquillity and bipartisanship in the senate, so we've got two good guys in fronthat can take us through these tough waters. >> where's your head on these current questions? is this a situation where, hey, the obama administration liked this man, they said that he should stay in this position, he's really good, so that's on them, if there are any real questions versus the trump administration consistently fails to vet the people they'll put in big positions of power, they should have known about these allegations whether they're true or not and been ready to rebut them right away? >> you're ultimately responsible for the pick you put forward. if this was happening when obama was president, we should all be concerned. i have no idea if these allegations are true. the president's responsible for the nomination he put forward. he's got to vet that person and capable of handling the lives of our men and women coming

and say his candy man comments were inappropriate but georgia republican center from georgia johnny isakson was one of the first to raise a flag and that undercuts the president's claim that it's about obstruction. >> the president is saying john tester, democrat from montana, who, by the way, is known as one of the centrists. he works with both sides of the aisle, that he's going to have a big price to pay in montana because of this. if trump's so confident that this was so wrong, why dependents he stand by his guy? why didn't he exercise this famed loyalty that only seems to work one way and this is another example of it? he could've said i don't care what you people say about ronny jackson, you want to see proof, you want this confirmation to happen because you can't stop the confirmation hearing unless the republicans want it or stalled or stopped? why didn't he flex like that? >> reporter: it is surprising, chris, that the president didn't do more to defend ronny jackson in this situation. we also had heard from sources yesterday that he had wanted to but was urged not to by his aides

and i want to salute chairman isakson and ranking member tester for pursuing those allegations. it is -- dr. jackson went through a maelstrom, and he should tell his patient, i guess, the president, that he -- the president -- is what caused this problem by not properly vetting, by making these decisions on the fly, by making sure they don't count. our obligation above all is not to any one individual, but to the millions of veterans in america. they deserve a department that treats them well. they deserve the best health care. and we need someone to run the v.a. who is up to the job. i hope the president learns his lesson. i hope the next nominee is thoroughly vetted before he or she is sent to the congress. most of all, i hope that so our veterans can get the kind of leader they deserve. finally, on another matter -- health care. next week health insurance companies will begin to announce their initial proposes rates for 2019 in each state across the country. and when they do, every american should remember that president trump and congressional republicans have spent the past

they could and re-voted after johnny isakson got back from his funeral. they could've had another meeting and voted again. could have been reported out of committee with an unfavorable recommendation which gets it to the floor. unless democrats wouldn't go along with that which would seem a little bit odd. i think what happened is about as good an outcome as you could expect far the republicans and the nominee under the circumstances. it's characteristic of the senate at its best that a member of the other party. senator coons will almost certainly vote no on the floor but allowing the nomination to proceed for the full consideration by the senate is pretty much in the tradition the way the senate as usually operated. it's a good development. >> bret: you just saw senator paul leave the committee room. obviously had a change of heart after meeting with the president and also meeting with cia director and nominee pompeo. >> well, i think in the case of rand paul, he's idiosyncratic. he is one of a kind. he votes what he considers to be his conscience. in t

the chronic care legislation that the chairman mentioned, i've mentioned for senator isakson joined me on. we were kicking off and began literally to transform medicare in the acute care program to be in the chronic care program, which is where most of the money is now being spent. senator isakson deserves an enormous amount of credit as does the chairman because we made it a bipartisan process. we can do that again. and looking at the three colleagues on my side. senator stab at now has worked hard on this. senator mccaskill. nobody has worked harder on the opioid issues than senator mccaskill. investigating the crisis, holding people accountable. we've got colleagues here and i don't want to overlook the fact that i see colleagues on the other side of the aisle who've also put in a lot of time on this. we can address these issues in a bipartisan way and i think particularly important for us is the vital role that medicaid plays and treatment. four to 10 working age americans suffering from opioid addiction rely on medicaid. the largest funding for treatment in the country. it is goin

senator isakson: i am told it's the biggest problem and getting bigger. mr. jenkins: not getting bigger, sir. the worst moment came in november of last year when there was a coalition-enforced encloseure of the red sea ports. since then we have seen improvements. there is a ways to go but things have been improving as of late. senator isakson: at the end of the long speech made by senator paul, who i have great respect for, we disagree on a number of things but he was making a good speech. i enjoyed it. i want to follow-up on what he said. he was basically saying we sent a lot of our soldiers into battles, battles, win, losing, didn't make a difference because we didn't finish the drill. we have in afghanistan and we have in yemen and we have other soldiers deployed who are in battles we are not going to win but something bring to a draw. is that a fairway to say it? is there any other way to get a recalcitrant people or people working against political solutions to the table other than the military challenge if you don't have a military challenge to force th

isakson: mr. president, the senate is a great place and to be able to speak here is a great honor, whether you're discussing your belief on an issue of great importance, honoring a friend, or on rare occasions but all too often when you get to be my age, pay tribute to somebody who's given so much and passed away. such has happened in my state this past monday on the 16th of april when john a. williams died. 74 years old. john williams was a giant in every weigh in our state. he's a giant entrepreneur. he founded two great companies, one of them post properties, the largest apartment read on the new york stock exchange started in 1993, built it to all new heights. most recently he started preferred apartment communities and done the same with it, employing thousands of people and thousands of units for housing and americans and set the pace of housing in his career. i don't know how many of you noticed in the suburbs of most major cities today but office parks and apartment complexes of any size n

i followed up with amanda later on and said senator isakson has not seen the president's tweets.republican, would defend senator tester, who the president is calling for his resignation this morning, that's significant, isn't it? >> it is significant. if you have senators on both sides of the aisle saying this committee process has to play out, regardless of the president's annoyance over the fact that the president's nominee got caught in hot water, that suggests there's impatience around the way these hearings have gone in the past. republicans on the hill want to support the president, want to support his nominees, but it suggests to me there's a little reluctance to defend a situation where clearly their candidate admiral jackson was put forward out of full vetting. >> thank you both for being here. we appreciate it. >>> meanwhile, senate hopeful mitt romney has a tough primary fight ahead after losing the battle to run unopposed as the gop candidate. i'll talk to his republican challenger when we come back. rs have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pa

look, i know everybody is blaming the democrats including trump, but johnny isakson, said there's enough to delay the hearings. he thought the charges were serious. i can't imagine a medical board wouldn't. >> does the medical board take action now? >> they have to. these are like public allegations. i think they're going to have to move and the other question is do we want to really trust trump's physical? remember all the stuff about that? >> that's what i thought. steve, to art's point, the president absolutely is blaming democrats for jackson's withdrawal. let's listen to what he said on fox this morning. >> an incredible man. respected by president obama. gave him his highest rating. you saw what president obama said. president bush. he was the doctor to president bush and obama and the family. he's been my doctor, and he runs a fantastic operation. the democrats are obstructionists. it's horrible what they're doing. they're not approving people. they're taking them out to the maximum 30 hours. that's a lot of time. 30 hours to interview people that are going to be approved. >> stev

senator coons did so as a gesture to senator isakson who could not be present for the vote because he was delivering a eulogy at his best friend's funeral. mr. president, this simple act of bipartisanship reminds me of the senate i used to know. the institution that lived worthy of its name and reputation as the world's greatest deliberative body. senator coons' vote brought us back from the precipice overlooking a partisan abyss. it was a timely reminder that this body is at its best when we put comity and respect head of partisanship. senator coons' gesture was characteristic of the person i know him to be, a class act, a loyal friend, and a true gentleman of the senate. may we all take a cue from yesterday's bipartisan display. our treatment of director compay crow in committee was embarrassing to say the least but now we have a second chance. now we have the opportunity to set things right by voting unanimously for his confirmation. i really urge all of my colleagues to do what's best for the senate and the nation by voting in favor of director pompeo's nomination. let's get rid o

they're senator isakson did not have a problem with how these were reported. i don't know if you know this, the fact that the president no longer has him as physician does tell you there is more than a modicum of truth to the charges made against admiral jackson during the course of this controversy of just as recently as a week ago. >> well, yes and no. a lot of the sort of toughest allegations, the one that immediately derailed his nomination have sort of been difficult to either prove or disprove. and that's what people are working on. there are very clear concerns about his qualifications to lead the v.a. that sort of never even got discussed because of this second set of allegations. and those allegations presumably he may not be qualified to lead the v.a. but he is certainly qualified to be the president's physician. it is sort of an open question now what happens. >> you mean he's a drunk, but he is capable of taking care of the president's health? either it's true or it's. no if he has been relentlessly drunk on duty, that to me would impair his abilit

republican committee chairman johnny isakson promised just that. >> so i'm going to make sure we have an open fair hearing for the american people. >> but republicans are divided over how to proceed. when i asked one senior republican senator earlier what's the level of patience among all of his colleagues with all this drama, he said it's, quote, very thin. ed o'keefe, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> well, president trump's personal attorney michael cohen will invoke his fifth amendment in self-incrimination regarding the case with daniels. cohen said he paid daniels $130,000 to keep quiet, but now she's sueing to invalidate that agreement. the fbi raided cohen's home and office earlier this month seeking records on the nondisclosure agreement. daniels' lawyer calls cohen's decision to invoke the fifth a stunning development. >>> a decision isn't expected until jurngs but it appears the supreme court is ready to uphold president trump's travel ban. the justices heard arguments yesterday. lower courts had struck down versions which bans travelers from five mostly muslim countries as well

according to his buy yiographer walter isakson, steve jobs liked this for the daily convenience and the ability to convey a signature style. the former leader of the free world also switched between gray and blue suits to free up his mind and mornings for more pressing matters obama told "vanity fair," i am trying to pair down decisions. because i have too many other decisions to make. and to say that the founder of facebook likes gray t-shirts would be an understatement. mark zuckerberg says he owns about 20 identical tees. he once said, quote, i feel like i'm not going any job if i spend any of my energy on thing that is are silly or frivolous about my life. it is clear it can work for men, but what about women? don't we have the pressure to look different every day? i went to meet with the co-founder of cuyana, a company that focuses on fewer, better things. >> that whole movement of being intentional with your choices is something that cu yurks yana wa. to me it feels like that would clear out half of my morning. >> i think women know if they wear that, they will feel great. a woman

is he friends with johnny isakson. they are friends.y is giving the eulogy at his best friend's funeral. we know how he stands. chris coons said i will vote present we will put it to the general floor which means is he going to pass. democrats who said they would vote for him. joe donnelly all supporting him on the fence is you chuck schumer, mark warner, angus king claire mccaskill he is going to have votes. you are right, ainsley of alabama. we are used to getting 80 votes for a secretary of state. but, for some reason it's just so partisan. having a hard time. ainsley: watching "fox & friends first." they had a full screen up. they had a chart up of all the people that have been confirmed in the past for secretary of state. colin powell 100 to 0. they supported whoever the president wanted. condoleezza rice 85-13. will john kerry 94-3. brian: if we wanted to get that chart how much would it cost us? jillian: a lot of money. brian: you are the one that made it. jillian: i did not make it. ainsley: i was watching you this morning you d

this morning, republican committee chairman johnny isakson promised just that. >> so i'm going to makee we have an open, fair hearing for the american people. >> reporter: but republicans are divided over exactly how to proceed. when i asked one senior republican senator earlier, "what's the level of patience among his g.o.p. colleagues for all this drama," jeff, he said it's "very thin." >> glor: all right. ed o'keefe continuing his reporting on this story. thank you. we're going to go to major garrett now at the white house. so major, how much did the white house know about these allegations before, and what's your sense of what they'll do now? >> reporter: well, not nearly enough to prepare for this battle, jeff. the white house knew there were general concerns that were likely to be raised about a workplace environment that might have been too hostile, and in fact, ran questions about that past jackson through no fewer than four confirmation hearing prep sessions. but the white house says it was blindsided by these accusations of either the excessive drinking or the too-freely disp

this morning, republican committee chairman johnny isakson promised just that. >> so i'm going to makeure we have an open, fair hearing for the american people. >> reporter: but republicans are divided over exactly how to proceed. when i asked one senior republican senator earlier, what's the level of patience among his g.o.p. colleagues for all this drama, jeff, he said it's "very thin." >>> a former police officer has been arrested as the so called golden gate killer who terrorized the golden gate in the 70s and 80s responsible for 175 crimes including dozen homicides and 45 rains. >> law enforcement officials from across california gathered for the announcement that after more than 40 years, they had found the golden state killer. >> yesterday afternoon, my detectives arrested james joseph deangelo, 72, living in citrus heights. >> reporter: he's suspected of more than 50 rapes and 12 murders between 1976 and 1986. at the beginning of his spree, anne marie schubert, now sacramento's district attorney, was 12 years old. >> it's in the matter of if he was coming again, it's when. it s

comes after democratic senator chris coons decided to go present and set if no, noting that johnny isakson couldn't vote because of a funeral. >> committee chairman bob corker holding back tears when describing how he felt about senator cruz decision. >> i in particular want to thank senator cruz for display in the statesmanship that i've been accustomed to seeing in the senate and i'm proud of him, part of our committee. gerri: pompeo expected to be confirmed by the senate later on this week. meanwhile, senator rand paul will be on "mornings with maria" 8:30 a.m. eastern time. again, critical vote on the committee last night. gerri: president trump meanwhile set to meet with french president emmanuelle macron at the white house. the two leaders to discuss key issues including terrorists, the iran nuclear deal which macron wants the president to support. cheryl: last night they had dinner at mount vernon and virginia opening the first state visit of the trump administration. caroline shively with details. >> these two leaders that relaxed and friendly sharing handshakes and hugs that the i

johnny isakson's vote count if it isn't the deciding vote so it was an 11-nine with i believe there was one vote that what would you call that? not present. called present. okay. it was 11-nine and that was a terrific thing. but they failed to stop him. now they say who is next? and this person, admiral jackson, doctor jackson, a wonderful man, i said to him what you need it for? and as far as experience is concerned the veterans administration which is approximately 13 million people is so big you could run the biggest hospital system in the world and its small time compared to the veterans administration. no one has the experience. he is a leader and a good man. i told him and i said, you are to find a person and his son is a top student at annapolis and he's a high-quality person. i said what do you need it for? it's totally his decision but he will be making a decision but they failed with mike pompeo and that was a big, big hit because they thought they could stop him and embarrass him and the democrats have become obstructionist. that is all they are good at. the not good at anyth

and we expect to find out more from the top members of that committee including johnny isakson was wrapped up in some of the drama around mike pompeo yesterday because he was out of town until late last night. but the expectation is that this hearing that was scheduled for wednesday will be put on hold again perhaps indefinitely while senators take a much closer look at ronnie jackson's background. >> okay. let's talk mike pompeo for a second because he got over a key hurdle yesterday. is he on track to be confirmed as secretary of state? >> he can. barring some kind of enormous surprise, mike pompeo will be confirmed by the full senate likely as earlies that week. there's a nato meeting at the end of this week that he would like to be able to 'tend as the secretary of state. sounds like he'll get there the. flip here, the big moment of drama was rand paul who changed his vote or decided to change his vote at the last moment last night. moving pompeo out of committee into the floor early this week. stephanie. >> all right. i want to bring in john brennan. former cia director and one of our

you know johnny isakson's vote counts if it wasn't the deciding vote. so it was 11-9 with i believe -- there was one vote -- what would you call that? reporter: a present vote. president trump: not president. reporter: present. president trump: so it was 11-9. that was a terrific thing. but they failed to stop him. so now they say, who's next? who's next? and this person, admiral jackson, dr. jackson, wonderful man. i said to him, what do you need it for? and as far as experience is concerned, the veterans administration, which is approximately 13 million people, it is so big, you could run the biggest hospital system in the world and it's small-time compared to the veterans administration. so nobody has the experience. what he is is a leader and a good man. but i told him, i said, you know what, doc, you're too fine a person. his son's a top student at annapolis. he's a high-quality person. i said, what do you need it for? so he'll be -- it's totally his decision. but he'll be making the decision. but they failed with mike pompeo. and that was a big, b

. >> i was grateful for the chance on monday to make a small gesture for johnny isakson of georgia. i know he had an exceptionally difficult day. he delivered the eulogy at his best friend's funeral. we were in a place where we had taken the vote on foreign relations and every democrat voted against it. he put in question, are we going to make johnny come up here at 11:00 or later tonight and reconvene for the same boat with the same result? i changed my vote just to accommodate. it didn't change the outcome. >> martha: that did not go forward, you are going to vote against mike pompeo for secretary of state tomorrow afternoon? >> i am and if i could, i would love a moment to explain that what i was doing was paying it forward. republican senator mike brown of south dakota last year when my father died unexpectedly, and i was on the floor looking and feeling miserable, he came across the floor and said to me, if you need to leave and go be with her family, we'll work it out so it doesn't change the outcome of the vote so you can go be with your family. that meant the world to me and

as you know, johnny isakson's vote counts. it was actually 11-9, i believe there was one vote. what would you call that? speak of the present speak of the present vote. >> president trump: not president. >> present. >> president trump: who is next? dr. jackson, a wonderful man. i say what you need need it for? as far as experience is concerned, the veterans administration, approximately 13 million people, so big, you could run the biggest hospital system in the world, its small time compared to the veterans administration. nobody has experience. he's a leader and a good man. i said do you know what? you are too find a person. his son is a top student at annapolis. he's a high-quality person. i said "what do you need it for?" it's totally his decision but you will be making a decision. they failed with mike pompeo. and that was a big, big hit because they thought they could stop him and embarrass him. the democrats have become obstructionists. that's all they are good at. they have bad ideas. they have bad politics. the one thing they do is obstruct. i'm waiting for -- she would

senator isakson deserves an enormous amount of credit. because we made it a bipartisan process. we can do that again. i am looking at the colleagues on my side. we have all worked hard on this. thedy has worked harder on opioid issue than senator mccaskill in terms of investigating the crisis, holding people accountable, we have colleagues here, and i don't want to overlook the fact that i see colleagues on the other side of the aisle who also put in a lot of time on this. address these issues in a bipartisan way. i think particularly important for us is the vital role that medicaid plays in treatment. four out of 10 of working age americans suffering from opioid addiction rely on medicaid. source ofargest funding for treatment, so it will have to be a key part of the solution. as the chairman noted, the families first legislation provides a real tool to deal with the epidemic. keepingirst is about the families together wherever you can. under this law, let's make sure everybody knows what it means for opioids. if a parent is swept up in opioid addiction, a grandparent could ste

the republican chairman of the committee senator isakson because the hearings on hold because of concerns the biggest problem in the nomination was in the nomination itself. jackson picked not because he was the most qualified for the job but the president likes him and thinks him loyal. >> he has a perfect record. he has a beautiful record, unblemished. his son ask a wonderful boy, goes to annapolis at the top of his class. one of the finest cadets. >> none of which, of course, is a credential to be the secretary of the va. and in addition, of course, as we all know the white house did no vetting of this candidate and was utterly shockingly unfairly to dr. jackson unprepared for the charges against him, ones the president called fake today. but no serious response from the white house. jackson is expected to be on as the white house physician as for now and then for officials the epa administrator pruitt appears to be on thinner an thinner ice. lawmakers blasting him for the big spending with the top democrat on the house energy and commerce committee saying this. >> unfit to hold public

johnny isakson was one of the first.n his job review, in which the administration released from president obama was glowing. it express said an enormous amount of confidence in dr. jackson. at the end of the day, this is a problem of donald trump's making. it is impulsiveness to nominate someone who hasn't been properly vetted. mr. president, you're to blame for creating this circumstance for dr. jackson. >> the concerns are telescoped. nick mulvaney. this is one of the broadside assaults on on what we are seeing with this administration. mulvaney doesn't like the agency or bureau he is now overseeing, the consumer protection bureau which now he wants to take something different to take financial services out of it because he was giving a speech to bankers and do everything he could to assure them, we will go easy on you. he headed the agency to protect people against bankers who aren't behaving properly. we had a hierarchy in my office in congress. if you're a lobbyist who never gave us mope, i didn't talk to you. if yo

tester wrote the va accountability bill along with marco rubio and johnny isakson.ithdrew his name from and president trump said last night right now he's looking to five different candidates who want the job. >> ellison barber with the latest. thank you so much. >> let's look at the jokes last night given by "the daily show" writer whether or not it's family-friendly tv. while many say the personal jobs of press secretary sarah sanders crossed the line of even bad taste, here's a sample of what we can play for you. >> i actually really like sarah. i think she's very resourceful. like she burns and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. maybe she's born with it, maybe its allies. >> chairman of the american conservative union was there last night at least for part of the performance and then not there for the rest of it. >> we know would be rough. it's always rough. here's how the white house or sponsor works. they make fun of republicans. republicans have the white house, they make fun of republicans. you know that how it's going to go. the president

johnny johnny isakson makes the decision.ohnny is concerned enough, i have talked to at least three about it so far in the veterans committee, they are all concerned about what's going on. that's why they delayed it. they wouldn't have delayed it if they thought the charges were empty. it is is clear that -- veterans have not come first in this whole process. that's what is disturbing. and i wish the white house would have a backup plan. it is pretty clear admiral jackson's nomination is in at least some trouble. and the white house should be thinking whom do we want to select to be head of the v.a. they had a v.a. running relatively well. veterans groups were happy with shulkin. they fired him because they didn't like his politics. now look what they've dup. and i just want to fix this. >> do you think ronny jackson is going to survive this day? >> i don't know about this day. there are community-based outpatient in swraeupbsville, lima, chillicothe. people who work at the v.a., people recruited by the v.a. to work there, th

in a letter to the president, senator johnny isakson, a trump loyalist and ranking veteran affairs member senator jon tester asked for more documentation of jackson's service in light of the allegations. >> the allegations that have come out against admiral jackson are very disturbing. >> probably makes sense for the president to spend a little more time doing research on his own nominees. >> republican senator jerry moran pushed back after meeting with admiral jackson. >> he indicated he was anxious for his hearing and would like to respond to the allegations come although my impression is he doesn't know exactly what they are either. >> a 2012 navy medical inspector general report criticized the command climate under then captain jackson and navy captain jeffrey coleman who served as the president's personal physician. those who worked under these two men said it was like living with two parents going through a bitter divorce. the ig report made no mention about alcohol or prescription abuse. it blamed much of the climate on jackson's arrival. >> bret: jennifer griffin live at the penta

. >> the white house continues to push senator johnny isakson to reschedule the confirmation hearing. also on capitol hill today, attorney general jeff sessions under fire over reports his recusal from the russia investigation does not extend to the investigation of michael cohen. >> are you recused from the federal investigation of the president's attorney, michael cohen? >> it's the policy of the department of justice that those who have recused themselves not state the details of it. >> sessions got into a heated exchange with democratic senator chris van hollen over presidential pardons and whether they went through the appropriate process. >> did the pardon of sheriff joseph arpaio go through the attorney's office? >> i don't believe it did. >> did the pardon of scooter libby go through? >> i don't believe it did. >> i am quoting from a statement you made saying it it was an abuse of process and a particular case made by president clinton. >> the pardons president clinton made were shocking, stunning, and on a comfortable. >> also facing heat, the presidents budget director mick

that's on chairman isakson's desk.hink johnnie and i both realize that we need some time to find out what the facts are. >> john tester of montana, thanks so much for being with us helping us try to understand what's going on here. it's not easy. >> thank you. >>> all right. a fascinating and welcomed sight outside washington today, the republican congressional baseball team at practice getting ready for the game. you'll remember it was one year ago that a gunman very nearly killed the house majority whip steve scalise, wounded three others at the practice of this team. they are back on the field today. joe johns is there. joe? >> reporter: it's rainy out here, obviously, not a typical or very good day for practice, but this was the first scheduled practice for the republican baseball team and a very unusual atmosphere compared with last year. last year, of course, was the day when it all happened, when we had a shooter come out and gun three people down who were injured, the shooter taking down himself by u.s. capitol

johnny isakson has been part of that.picks a partisan way but does it in a way that is debating. >> it is also baiting. if it is so important to change the outcome of an election, doesn't he have a duty to the american people to let them know as their number one lawmaker, their number one leader. shouldn't he say what he knows? if it would definitely change the fate of an election. >> he is making them up. >> we do call him out. unfortunately it looks like those defending donald trump never call him out. >> and i think that's fair. and you also have to do both sides, which frustrates everybody. two weeks ago alisyn and i were talking about the implications of what happens with the koreas. if you're able to have something that goes from armistice to real peace at the partial or full urging of the united states government under the trump administration, that is the stuff of a peace prize. and i got rained down on for normalizing trump and all you saw the south korean president said i think for the efforts so far president t

committee johnny isakson asked if he can be confirmed, the senator said we'll see. i want to go to kristen welker. this is extraordinary here because ronny jackson was the white house doctor for the administration for president trump. i've spoken to people inside the white house and from obama's team who said he's a great guy to work with. but is the issue here, he might be a good doctor, but he's not qualified to be the va secretary? and the white house is now feeling the blowback? >> well, there are two components to that steph. first, these allegations. and as you just played that sound bite, his response to garrett hague, ronny jackson says he has a right to defend himself and essentially say these allegations are false. i've been talking to white house officials who say they want him to have that chance. and i think what you're going to see in the coming hours and coming days is a more robust attempt from the white house to really defend ronny jackson and to roll out some of his credentials and try to put the focus on that. there's a sense maybe there wasn't en

is interesting, considering it was done with the full cooperation of a republican senator, johnny isaksonen the fact that the accusations were taken seriously but some may not have a lot of merit, should dr. jackson have stayed and fought, gone to the eventual hearing and said these are baseless lies and defended that. >> i'll take her point and say these are tough experiences for individual nominees, and this is not just a situation where the president says this is a person i want and a person shows up on capitol hill. there are strategies, people that consult on trying to get people actually passed through this process. when you don't have that in place, when you don't have a thorough vetting process, when you don't construct a campaign around a nominee, it becomes difficult to get over that hamp. i imagine that if none of that is in place and he doesn't want to continue to put his family through this i can't imagine why he would go through the process. >>> let's talk about scott pruitt. he didn't show any remorse for his spending habits when he was asked by lawmakers. i want to play a

>> senator tester and the republican chairman of the veterans affairs committee johnny isakson said they would delay the confirmation hearing it till later notice. labor secretary andrew pudster withdrew his nomination after scrutiny of his policies. michael flynn was forced to resign under the cloud of a russian investigation. rob porter home run allegations of domestic allegations. tonight a senior white house official tells nbc news jackson met with the trump in the oval office late this afternoon described as a positive meeting. that official also says dr. jackson's record as a white house physician is impeccable. he has improved unit morale, received glowing reviews and promotions under republican and democratic preys and been given a clean vet from the fbi. i'm joined by kristin weller, robert costa, "washington post," national political reporter and senator richard blumenthal of connecticut. i want to start with the reporting from kristin. this doesn't stack up, impeccable record, everything's fine. no blemish on it. and yet, drunk on the job. from a number of sources including th