but democratic city people do not like george bush or john ashcroft so there was a narrative already made two or three days after that big explosive story everybody was radio silent we couldn't figure out what was going on then laying out that scenario people bought it. >> you point out in the book the margin in that cycle it was bigger than four years prior. >> yes. the 99 race somewhere 9400 which is the closest in modern history and then winning by 85000 so there was a number based on the fiction created the republicans in washington trying to take down the flag the democratic mayor of philadelphia which would then lead to the republicans being able to win pennsylvania 2004. that was a fundamental theory. >> summer 2006 resigning from counsel, i was surprised but maybe i had forgotten what a shoestring operation it was at the outset of the campaign. describe that. >> we may have borrowed time shoestrings. [laughter] sold may 2006 we take a full as i am on the city council. i am with a will known firm and i pay good money and basically doesn't matter who venture campaign. how much

that it was really what was going on, but it's a heavily democratic city and folks didn't like john ashcroft, so there was a narrative was already made, i mean, after they come in two or three days after that big explosive story everyone was kind of radio silent and we couldn't figure out was going on and then we-- they laid out that scenario and people bought it. >> you point out in the bucket i think a lot of folks forget the margin in that cycle, which was cash and street to was bigger than it was four years prior. >> i think-- i don't know if he is here, but neil will know this well. i think the 99th street cats race i think the margin was somewhere 9400 neighborhood, one of the closest in modern history and i think the rematch i think mayor street one by like 85000, i mean, like some absurd number based on this whole fiction that had been created about the republicans in washington trying to take down the black democratic mayor of philadelphia , which would then lead to the republicans of being able to win pennsylvania in 2004 was the fundamental theory, which made no sense whatsoever.

but, it's a heavily democratic city and folks did not like george bush, certainly didn't like john ashcroft so there was a narrative that was ready made after they kind of, two or three days after that big explosive story, everybody was radio silent and couldn't figure out what was going on and they laid out that scenario and people bought it. >> host: you point out in the book, and a lot of folks forget that the margin in that cast in street two it was bigger than four years prior. >> i don't know if the guru of numbers, but know this well, the 99 street-catz race i think the margin 9400 neighborhood, one of the closest in modern history, and i think the rematch, i think mayor street won by like 85,000, it was some absurd number based on this whole fiction that had been created about the republicans in washington were trying to take down the black democratic mayor of philadelphia, which would then lead to the republicans being able to win pennsylvania in 2004. that was the fundamental theory, which just made no sense whatsoever. >> host: summer of 2006, you resigned from council, you have

the bush administration was determined on keep a warrantless eavesdropping program that they and john ashcrofthe hospital recovering from surgery, leaving comey in charge. >> i was concerned that given how ill i knew the attorney general was, there might be a request to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that. he had been a great help to me over that week. i told him what was happening. he said i'll meet you at the hospital now. >> they had to literally race administration officials to ashcroft's bed side. >> they requested the fbi agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. >> in the end, ashcroft backed and many mueller. >> he enlisted bob mueller because he knew bob mueller had this incredible nonpartisan reputation in washington. while comey might be able to be personally blamed for having political motives or thinking politics, no one would be able to attach that label to bob mueller. >> that was then. now trump views their relationship with suspicion. >> he is very, very good friends with comey, which is very bothersome. >> mu

keep a warrantless eavesdropping program that mueller, comey and their boss, attorney general john ashcroft, thought was illegal. but ashcroft was in the hospital, recovering from surgery, leaving comey in charge. >> i was concerned that, given how ill i knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that. called director mueller with whom i'd been discussing this particular matter. and had been a great help to me over that week. and told him what was happening. he said, i'll meet you at the hospital right now. >> reporter: they had to literally race administration officials to ashcroft's bedside. >> director mueller instructed the fbi agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. >> reporter: in the end, ashcroft backed comey and mueller. >> he enlisted bob mueller because he knew bob mueller had this incredible nonpartisan reputation in washington while comey might be able to be personally blamed for having political motives or thinking politics. no one was going to be able to a

keep a warrantless eavesdropping program that mueller, comey, and their boss, attorney general john ashcroftought was illegal. but ashcroft was in the hospital, recovering from surgery, leaving comey in charge. >> i was concerned that given how ill i knew the toerattorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that. called director mueller, with whom i'd within discussing this particular matter and who had been a great help to me over that week and told him what was happening. he said, i'll meet you at the hospital right now. >> reporter: they had to literally race administration officials to ashcroft's bedside. >> director mueller instructed the fbi agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. >> reporter: in the end, ashcroft backed comey and mueller. >> he enlisted bob mueller, because he knew that bob mueller had this incredible non-partisan reputation in washington. while comey might be able to be personally blamed for having political motives or thinking politics, no one was going to

john ashcroft allowed his acting to defy the bush administration during confrontation in his half littleom over a surveillance program that the justice department lawyers deemed unconstitutional. the president has critiqued the work of the justice department and complained about mr. perceived acts of disloyalty. when it comes to the pro by rob or molar, he is vindicated by the release of the republican isu -- by robert mueller, he vindicated by the release of the republican memo. you can agree or disagree. if you remember, trump said the same thing last year, said he was vindicated when nunes went to the white house and took that document over there. trump lied and said the same exact thing with the same exact hook he uses. evenrepublicans have not read the underlying documents. the thing they are supposed to be using that caused them to start the russia investigation, none of those people read the underlying documents. how can they say what happened? they do not know. they are trying to full people and lied a people. -- and lie to people. if people are calling in and think trump is vind

keep a warrantless eavesdropping program that mueller, comey and their boss, john ash kroft thought was illegal. a ashcrofts in the hospital. >> i was concerned given how ill the attorney general was that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that. i called director mueller. he was a great help to me over that week. i told him what was happening. he said i'll meet you at the hospital right now. >> they had to literally race administration officials to his bedside. >> director mueller instructed the fbi agents not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. >> in the end ashcroft backed them. >> he knew bob mueller had this incredible nonpartisan reputation in washington while comey might be able to be permly blamed for -- personally blamed for having political motives, no one was going to be able to attach that label to bob mueller. that was then. now trump views their relationship with suspicion. >> he's very good friends with comey, which is very bothersome. >> mueller loyalists deny it. but it's all part of the new landscape as he inves