and look, senator john thune, the majority whip in the united states senate, he said last night as he was leaving, it was absolutely time for the republican party to move on from donald trump. he said, quote, we've got to get back to where the party is built around a set of ideals, principles, and policies. alisyn? >> shame on them. shame on those senators. they sided with domestic terrorists yesterday. and we won't forget it. and i'm very glad that you read their names, lauren. thank you very much. >>> president trump is now vowing an orderly transition of power on january 20th, when president-elect joe biden will be sworn in, but this is only after weeks of fueling and inciting the deadly insurrection at the u.s. capitol and his damage is already done. cnn joe johns is live at the white house. what's happening, joe? >> good morning, alisyn. the president certainly waited as long as possible before he put out this statement and he put it out right after the electoral college vote up on capitol hill in the very early hours of the morning. it was the closest thing the president has put

mitch mcconnell and john thune. thune said he thought it would go over like a shot dog. perhaps that's what prompted trump to tweet, i hope to see the great governor of south dakota run against rhino senator john thune in the upcoming 2022 ply mare. south dakota wants strong leadership now. she said she doesn't plan to primary thune. what does this say about trump? days before critical election, the next senate majority in georgia and trump is attacking the very leader who is have for the most part often defended him at length over the past four years. >> it shows that at least in the immediate future, even as the president leaves office on january 20th, that trump and trumpism and trump himself is going to have a hold on the party for the immediate future in terms of the immediate upcoming election cycles. we know the president hasn't ruled out a comeback bid. i would imagine he teases it out like the reality show producer that he is for some time. and as long as his kind of -- as long as he is out there, his voters are going to be attracted to that. you know, the peopl

i think mitch mcconnell and john thune we saw earliein the program, are exactly right, those who makeer $60,000 those $2,000 checks. i don't see how we should give them to people earning more than 60,000. some danger of overheating e economy if we do that and so i think mcconnell's mostly right on the merits but it is odd hew t pop last presidency that trump could have had if he had passed that up and went for ae populast in talk advocacy or populast in action. woodruff: stopping dad in its tracks, any consequences from this, are we going to forget about it and on to the next thing in a few weeks? >> we'll talk about gegia in a bit, there could be consequences there. i think that mitch mcconnell has a point about and others abouthe si of the checks along with david and larry suers. he is not in -- he has zero standing to raise this point. because iunless issed something i don't see him taking the brooksian approach of limiting it to some people who earn certain amount or other things that would be more targeted to extending unemployment benefits. he just wants to stop it in it

we're hearing from another republican senator, john thune, who was asked is it time to move away from trump? he said i don't think there's any question about that. what happened today is indicative that we have to chart court. >> lindsey graham also breaking ranks with trump. coming up, a look inside the protest as it unfolded. >> a washington based corespondent was literally shoulder to shoulder with the protesters. based corespondent was literally shoulder to shoulder with the protesters. -based corespondent was literally shoulder to shoulder with the protesters. >>> you are taking a live look at the u.s. capitol just hours after pro trump protesters overpowered security and stormed through doors and windows. >> now, washington based correspondent robert moore, who reports for the british network itv was right there the moment they breached the building. >> we follow the aggrieved and infuriated trump supporters as they storm the building. through broken windows and doors they had forced open. and for a few heavy moments they felt they had won a precious victory. >> usa! usa! usa! >

look at what he just tweeted a few moments ago, threatening to primary john thune, saying that the governor of south dakota, kristi noem should run against him, but you're saying a remarkable split between the president and his own party on several matters, including the $2,000 stimulus checks, but also when it comes to this as well. it's telling that that's one of the big take appear aways from his last few days. >> in fact the president is calling for a primary challenge to john thune. extraordinary. phil, this comes as we've learned that 140 house republicans will object to the electoral college results next week. there was an extraordinary conference call yesterday between senate republicans. tell us what happened. >> reporter: this gets at what kaitlan was getting at, this fascinating dynamic, where you have republicans who are very clearly ready to move on. they are willing to acknowledge reality, and that's that joe biden is president-elect, and willing to acknowledge while donald trump may have extreme power within the party, because of his popularity with the base particul particul

. >> john thune. >> but can you imagine that brad raffensberger, a republican secretary of state from only one i think in this entire presidency that we have heard pushing back to donald trump in real time saying no, i'm sorry. we have our evidence, you have yours. bring it to the table, the courts can decide. his attorney, no. that did not happen. >> germany. >> he'll end up being the american hero out of all of this and that's amazing and he's amazing, but where is everyone else? where are these losers? these spineless losers who don't care about this country who should be stepping up now, who should have stepped up every step of the way. now, 12 republican senators say they plan on joining over 100 republican members of the house in objecting to certifying joe biden's victory. those senators include josh hawley, ted cruz, ron johnson and james lankford, as well as several who were sworn in sunday as members of the new congress. all threatening to object to the certification of trump's loss to president-elect joe biden when the joint session of congress meets on wednesday. the senat

to be going after senate gop folks who have been his allies on 99% of his agenda, like senator john thune, railing against georgia governor kemp. what is behind all of this? and give us the latest state of play. >> reporter: john, there's clear frustration from president trump that more republicans have not been leaning in to his efforts to undermine the election results. senator john thune is a great example of someone who has felt the wrath of the president after defending the idea of democracy and saying that the electoral college results should stand in the senate. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell has discouraged senators from challenging those election results, but senator josh hawley has come out and leading the charge in the senate saying he will object to the election results on wednesday forcing the house and the senate to take a vote on those election results. dozens and dozens of other house republicans have joined that effort which is sure to fail but will be a symbolic show to trump and his supporters that they are joining his push to fight the elections. christi andon.

. >> john thune called the proposal a shotgun approach. >>> the senate did vote overwhelmingly today to override president trump's veto of the national defense authorization act. senators delivered president trump the first veto of his presidency by an 81-13 vote far above the two-thirds needed. the house took similar action. the president vetoed the measure last week because it didn't include his request to repeal an internet liability law known as section 230. he also objected to provisions that would rename military bases and facilities named after confederate leaders. >> the united kingdom is entering a new era officially cutting ties with the european union. as the new year began the brexit transition period came to an end and this comes four years after the uk quit the longtime partnership and britain left the eu almost a year ago and remained a part of the economic structures until now. he is calling it a, quote, amazing moment for the country. the british economy will suffer with many businesses unprepared for the year ahead. >>> how is this for 2021 inspiration. juliette has

a twitter assault on senator john thune, who said biden's win will not be overturned the president urged south dakota governor, christy gnome, to run against him. while stoking expectations for his supporters by promoting a big protest rally in washington, d.c., january 6th. that day, vice president mike pence must preside over the final counting of electoral votes. but he is fighting off a lawsuit that seeks to give pence power to toss out some states' votes. enough to flip biden's victory to trump government lawyers defending pence belittled the claim for suing, ironically, the very person whose power they seek to promote. making this all the more awkward, the suit was filed by a group of trump loyalists, including a texas congressman, against the vice president, who is widely viewed as unfailingly loyal to president trump peter. >> kelly, thank you. >>> the new year is ushering in new laws across the country, including one that impacts anyone who wants to board a plane. pete williams, with what you need to know. >> reporter: starting today, hawaii becomes the first state in the nation

deterred by these mobs and again even republican senators and members of leadership like senator john thune who said in a statement that lawmakers will not be deterred from fulfilling their constitutional duty and even before all of this happened we even heard senate majority leader mitch mcconnell speak out against the republicans who are objecting to certifying the election results saying we just simply have no proof that there was this widespread fraud at least on such a large scale that it would overturn the election so even you know before all of this republican members of congress said that a lot of the top leaders. i should say that the election results needed to be certified. >>alexandra big picture and the democrats are in on the same page you have the progressives and the more moderates. but certainly you have to say the republican party is fractured now you have the trump loyalists. we saw what happened in historically at least the past 30 years or so a very red state with the 2 democratic senators winning that those runoff elections where do you think the republican party and th

president yesterday tweeted that senator majority leader mitch mcconnell and republican senators john thunee the democrats and even more importantly the weak and ineffective rino part of the republican party are looking at thousands of people pouring into dk. they won't stand for a landslide election victory. the reservations that we won't show on the screen that's what the man is saying and it's not true. now there are republican senators according to nbc news who said they will not object to joe biden's certification. senators tim scott and jerry moran are the latest to add their names to the list. 12 senate republicans have sent a letter to speaker pelosi and leader mccarthy calling to respect the states' authority. they write, the constitution is clear. states elect s select electors. congress does not. accordingly, our path forward is also clear. we must respect the states' authority here. none that they we see here is going to change the outcome that joe biden will be sworn in as president in two weeks. let's bring in nbc news and msnbc contributor shawna thomas to talk more about thi

coates senator john thune has commented that any efforts to overturn the election would shotne -- goown like a dog. he is really indicative of where senate leadership is at in this context. that, president trump again very much aware that his message is resonating with a mistrusting electorate has said that senator through and will now be primary. so it's a very contentious volatile situation right now and the republican party. have thegeorgia, we republican incumbents that are up for reelection not really weighing in so much on the wednesday certification of the electoral college where there is opposition among some recover lukens -- republicans. kevin: senators leffler and perdue both having to navigate in the closing days of this race in addition to the certification, also the pandemic. senator perdue having to quarantine after being exposed to covid-19. have seen topou republicans, top democrats from the upper echelons of the party both lay down their campaign markers in the peach state and quite honestly from clarity perspective, we might not have a result, similar to the novemb

look at the way he went after john thune, the number two republican senator, calling for the senator from south dakota to be primaried over his dismissal of hawley's objection. the president clearly still holds the reins of the republican party and he is exercising that power in a way where establishment republicans are clearly bending to his will. boris sanchez, cnn, at the white house. >> now the dysfunction in washington could impact tuesday's crucial u.s. senate races here in georgia. control of the chamber is at stake. incumbent republicans loeffler and purdue. the republican push to overturn biden's win described as a new low. this is what he had to say. >> we have a democratic system, and the most powerful four words in a democracy are "the people have spoken." they've spoken all across this country. they've spoken in swing states like pennsylvania. they've spoken here in the state of georgia. instead of standing up for the people and their voices, like these other dozen politicians, kelly loeffler is focused on her own future rather than the future of the people who are tryin

at the other republicans who make, you know, fiscal conservatives, limited government, senator john thunece, or senator majority leader mitch mcconnell who are making it very clear that this is a vote that they did not want. that it will not be beneficial to them to raise their hands and go on record with this vote. but they are forced to do so now. and so, this is something that is going to set up clearly the alliances moving forward in the republican party which side, which party are you a part of? the trump republican party, or the other traditional republican party? it's a divided one and people will have to go on record saying which part they are part of. >> all the experts that we've spoken to said this is going to result in the same outcome, regardless if they create the drama, it may delay the outcome but ultimately joe biden will be certified as the president-elect and will be sworn in on january 20th. will trump ever fully accept the results of this election, boris? >> reporter: i wouldn't bet on it, anna. if you speak to people close to the president, they do not think he will

complaint that some of the moderate senators, republicans, were having, snort murkowski as well as john thune saying the president wouldn't have due process or fair process. but fred, make no mistake, the process will move forward starting on monday, when literally the house managers will physically walk over that article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection to the senate side. it will be introduced on the senate floor. and then the next day, you will have that summons issued to trump, followed by some critical deadlines that you see there. february 2, a deadline for the trump team response to house managers, to present their own pre-trial briefs, also a deadline for trump to also present his pre-trial briefs, and then that final day, february 9, the house going ahead with its rebuttal, and then the formal opening, if you will, of this trial. it's still uncertain, fred, just how many witnesses will be called forward, what type of time senators will have to question those witnesses and additional aspects of the hearing. all of that will be negotiated in the days ahead. >> one has to w

make a decision, and that is the view held by a lot of top republican senators, including senator john thune, senator john cornyn, two other members of mitch mcconnell's leadership team who made it clear that they are going to wait and hear the arguments on both sides before making a decision about whether to convict. that is significant, too, because back in 2020, during the first trump impeachment trial, most of those republican senators were firmly on donald trump's side. they were leaving little question about where they may end up, which means there are still questions about whether 17 republicans will ultimately break ranks, join with 50 democrats, convict donald trump, prevent him ever from running for office again, while it's still going to be a high hurdle to clear, it's one that remains possible, especially as the people are still very frustrated, especially here on capitol hill about donald trump's actions, but what will republicans do when it comes time to vote. erin. >> manu, thank you very much. out front now, the democratic senator from connecticut, richard blumenthal, also th

certainly has been urging people -- you know, he was urging the governor of south dakota to primary john thune. but -- but -- it's not clear whether he's really going to put money behind those threats, and it's not clear yet how influential he will be beyond the very core of his base, the kind of people who would show up for a rally. >> one of the giant questions for the next several days, and then, of course, the next several months and the next cycle. does the president fade away or does he find a way to stage a resurgence. tamara keith, jeff zeleny, phil mattingly, grateful for the reporting. >>> the insurrection at the capitol is now serving as an inspiration for future attack planning. we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's

there is senators like john thune, even his own home state senator who are up in 2022 and they have not been supportive of this effort, and we're expecting them to vote against it. so it is really, a dynamic that you're seeing that usually plays out behind the seens, will he get the party going to be successful? or do you see trumpism succeed long after trump is out of the white house? >> amy, about that point in the call where the president says he wants brad raffensperger to find 11780 votes, does the secretary of state's office know what the president is talking about there? was he just asking them to change the tallly? was he asking them to forge votes? was he asking them to discount that many democratic votes in order to give him the state? >> that is the question of the hour, of the news cycle. that is exactly the number of trumps that he needs added to his column to beat joe biden by one vote in georgia. so it does sound like trump is saying i don't care how you do it, i just need this many to win and that is what has fuelled the interpretations of this call that it crosses the l

in fact, that's exactly what senators john thune and rob portman told us publicly.o there's no question, conviction is unlikely but remember, the trial hasn't even started yet. we're still seeing new evidence every day. you showed us that compelling new body camera footage. let's see what happens at the trial. let's see how things play out. >> another viewer asks, in the impeachment trial, can the senators cast their votes confidentially? >> yeah, the senate actually can choose to vote confidentially. but it's exceedingly unlikely they will. generally, the senate gets to set its own rules for the impeachment trial. all they need is a majority vote but it's a specific portion of the constitution that says if the senate wants to do a vote in public, all it takes is one fifth of the senators. 20 out of 100. now, the argument for secret ballots is it minimizes political considerations, enables the senators to vote their own conscience but the argument against it, it's too important of a vote. we need transparency and accountability and historically, we've never had a se

just look at the way he went after john thune, the number two republican senator, calling for the senatorsouth dakota to be primaried over his dismissal of hawley's objection. the president, clearly, still holds the reigns of the republican party, in a way establishment republicans are clearly bending to his will. boris sanchez at the white house. >> david perdue and kelly loeffler are, no doubt, hoping their blind loyalty to the president pays off. things are building to a fever pitch, as you can imagine, right here in georgia, ahead of tuesday's runoff election that will determine the balance of power in the senate. texas senator, ted cruz, campaigned with loeffler on saturday. he referred to the president's bogus claim that democrats stole this november election. >> but, look. are they going to try to steal it? yes. but i'll tell you what we are going to do. we are going to win by a big enough margin, ain't nobody stealing the state of georgia. >> meantime, georgia secretary of state, brad raffensperger, a republican, who's been on the receiving end of the president's wrath since novem

look at the way he went after john thune, the number two republican senator calling for the senator from south dakota to be primaried over his dismissal of holly's objection. the president clearly still holds the reigns of the republican party and is exercising that power in a way where establishment republicans are clearly bending to his will. boris sanchez, cnn at the white house. >>> thank you for that. after georgia went democratic blue in the presidential elections, republicans became keenly aware of how important it is to turn out the trump base here in these georgia senate runoffs which are coming up this week. with the president casting doubt about election results, the two georgia republican candidates will have their work cut out for them as cnn now reports. >> reporter: senator kelly loeffler is one of the three candidates crisscrossing the state days ahead of georgia's senate runoff elections, three out of the four candidates are out campaigning. senator david perdue, one of the republican incumbents is not on the trail. he's campaigning from his home, holding virtual events

will convict, but if mitch mcconnell does end up voting to convict, maybe he would bring like a john thunenumber two, over with him. and the senator from nebraska. impact on numbers. why all eyes stay on mcconnell. potential retirees this year. richard berg, not running again. freeing up political pressure. grassley of iowa. on the watch list making potential targets swayed by the impeachment managers to convict. these folks reelected. six years. don't have to woo the base of the party necessarily now. got an election not for six yes. in inhofe, senator from alaska and others on a potential target list if a house impeachment manager looking for votes. of course, you have final category here. these are folks up for re-election next year in cycle in 2022 might be potentially open to vote to convict but in cycle and need to woo the trump base now powerful inside the republican party. roy blunt, rob portman, lankford, todd young. these folks have to weigh so carefully the political consideration here. if, indeed they want it to play into their vote pap vote of conscious and dismiss politics wh

look at after the way he went after john thune, calling for the senator from south dakota to be primariedthe president clearly still holds the reigns of the republican party and is exercising that power in a way where establishment republicans are clearly bending to his will. boris sanchez, cnn, at the white house. >>> thanks, boris, for that. a lawsuit filed by u.s. house republican is taking another loss in court. on saturday a federal court dismissed an appeal after a trump appointed judge threw the case out the day before. the suit sought to force mike pence to interfere in the electoral college vote count. pence asked them to reject the lawsuit. earlier i spoke to a political science lecturer at the university college london and the director of ucl center on u.s. politics. i asked about the move by senators and whether it's less about the outcome and more about the act. this is what he had to say. >> i think this is mostly political theater, but we shouldn't underestimate how dangerous of a precedent it sets for u.s. senators to aid and abet trump's baseless allegations. i think it's

that's what cornyn just told a group of us moments ago as well as senate minority whip john thune toke clear they will force democrats to take those procedural steps to overcome this road block, his filibuster, by republicans. that will require 51 votes in the senate to overcome. the democrats will get those votes, but it will take some time. and it would be the first nominee by the senate attempted to be blocked by senate republicans by this procedural maneuver. more could certainly come but this comes as the homeland security department just today issue add threat bulletin warning about a potential for extreme s to commit violence during the president's transition period. a lot riding on this move. republicans are not satisfied with mayorkas and democrats to push him through but it could take several days longer. >> thank you, manu raju on capitol hill. >>> and still ahead, senator tim yan joins me live and senator tom cotton called out by colleagues for misrepresenting his military service while running for office abnd we're gawk to fact check that next. >>> arkansas senator tom c

he's raised that with senator john thune, and the number and 2 senate leadership there. what to you think of that? >> well, passions are very high right now. but as benjamin franklin warned us, passion governs. she never governs wisely. >> i remember covering benjamin franklin when he said that. you're right. congressman, when this sorts out, how do you think president trumphas comported himself through this? >> i don't want to get into characterizations. i think his position is not supported by the constitution and actually fundamentally threatens the basic architecture of the constitution. >> neil: you fear a primary challenge as a result? >> i've had plenty of primary challenges over the years. i dispatched everyone. >> neil: yeah. you have indeed. congressman, thanks very much. i apologize for the truncated time. congressman mcclintock. there's more than a dozen senators that are going with this process to challenge the electoral vote count. it's an uphill battle especially in the house where democrats rule not by much. again, it's one last hail mary pass by the pres

majority whip the honorable john thune and misses kimberly thune.ader the honorable charles schumer and misses ira schumer. president pro tempore of the senate the honorable chuck grassley. and misses jennifer heinz. [indistinct conversations and crowd noise] ♪ [indistinct marching orders] [soldiers marching] [orchestral music plays] ♪ [vast drumbeat leading into horns] --[fast drumbeat leading into horns] [drums and horns play] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the former vice president, the honorable dan quayle. [orchestral music plays] ♪ -- [footsteps and indistinct conversation] [drumbeats into horn and orchestral music] [orchestral music plays] announcer: ladies and gentlemen the 42nd president of the united states, the honorable william j clinton and the honorable hillary rodham clinton. [orchestral music plays] ♪ [fast drumbeats into orchestral music] [drill orders] [orchestral music continues] announcer: the 43rd president of the united states the honorable george w. bush and laura bush. [orchestral music continues] [applause] ♪ [indistinct c

senate majority whip and man wondering if he should throw a piece of plywood over the shallow grave, john thune. thune said that while the g.o.p. may be disappointed with the result, "at some point you have to face the music." yes, that music is a little ditty called "hail to the chief," and for the next four years, you're going to hear it every time you stand up when joe biden walks into the room. but some in the g.o.p. are still struggling to mince words in a way that will appease he who shall not be named. just ask wyoming senator and man interrupting a woman to say the same thing she's saying, john barrasso. when asked whether biden is president-elect, barrasso said that was a "gotcha question." yeah, classic gotcha question, like "who's the president?" and "what's your name?" and "what year is it?" and "how many fingers am i holding up?" and if you don't give the answers they like, all of a sudden, they gotcha! in five- point restraints for your own safety. but the award for dumbest reply has to go to north dakota senator and man caught looking at porn on his ipad, kevin cramer. cramer res

that is from senator john thune, lisa murkowski and other moderates who said, look, if you rush the wholess you will not give the president his due process. this will not be a fair trial. by having this two-week period of time, that does in some way address kind of the hastiness that they have been objecting to. however, you do have other republicans, senator john cornyn for instance who's simply saying, look, you don't have the votes, it's a vindictive process, this is not going to happen. but let's take a look at the process itself, fred, we're talking about monday, that is when the house managers will physically go ahead and bring over this article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection. it will be here on the senate floor, read the next day. you will have a process in which the trump team will actually be presented with the summons and then following that some critical deadlines that we are talking about, one being february 2nd, trump response as well as the house to prepare for their pre-trial briefings, another deadline where president trump and his legal team would present t

he said to john thune, the number two republican in the senate should be primaried in his eyes because he's ridiculed this idea of an objection. these lawmakers are terrified of getting primaried from a donald trump-backed candidate whether in 2022 or further, and frankly, some of them have aspirations for 2024. that includes josh holly, who's the first republican senator to come out and announce he would be objecting to these electoral college results, and of course, ted cruz who at one point spent months ridiculing donald trump calling him a liar, et cetera, a con man, and ultimately, fell in line in large part because he recognizes, again, where the power is in the republican party. trump knows that he has it and he's not going to go quietly, ana? >> boris sanchez at the white house. thank you, boris. and so joining us now to discuss further, former democratic senator barbara boxer of california who in 2005 famously objected to ohio's votes, charging voter suppression. senator we should just say up front, you feel your case was very different. what's your reaction to this news that

it includes moderate members, some members like roy blunt or john thune. it's hard to see them convicting trump without mcconnell's vote. he's a really crucial factor in how this shakes out. >> trump is threatening to start a flu party. we heard the patriot party, the maga party. they are threat ping republicans who don't back him with primary challenges. former president has no one who is like whipping votes for him in the senate. is this threat really a long term play? something he is truly committed to other is it a way to scare sitting senators into voting against impeachment? >> it's not really clear what trump's long game is. starting a new political party takes a lot of work. i would be skeptical he's going to do that. building the operation from the ground up to win elections is really difficult work. it's not clear president trump wants to do that. you're right. by just floating this, just dangling the possibility he's going to scare a number of republican leaders away from con fronting him to a certain extent. as anyone republican operative will

candidate or his opposition to a candidate like a governor brian kemp in georgia or like senator john thunery serious recommendation. >> talk to us about the consequences of the big business backlash. >> we are already seeing examples of the republican party's more corporate donors and more mainstream wealthy individuals saying that they are not comfortable with the state of the gop right now. you saw the lowe's hotel corporation cancel an event at a property just yesterday proving josh hawley, the missouri senator who was a ringleader in trying to block the congressional acceptance of joe biden's victory. that's a big step. you have other republican donors. i spoke to one multi-million dollar donor to mitch mcconnell's super pac who said he was going to be watching closely to see which republicans voted in favor of impeachment because the party made a mistake by not removing president trump when they had a chance in 2019. excuse me, in 2021. they are looking for the party to to take a more principled stance this time. >> as they look ahead to 2022, and you mentioned it briefly there, do yo

happened is, senator rand paul made a motion to debate 45 wanted to have the debate. 2 of that group john thunend rob portman have not come to a conclusion even though a part of that 45. i don't think jason miller's statement is quite correct there. gloria is absolutely right. the reason you would step away from a high-profile case like this that you are likely to win is because you have some sort of ethical disagreement on principle disagreement that the direction of the client wants you to go. >> raises a question, gloria. you know donald trump and the politics of it. the republican senators who voted with rand paul, they focused on the constitutionality of this. it would make sense that the lawyers who are going to defend trump to focus on the constitutionality whether you can try to convict a former president. if you know trump he would want vindication on his contact. that's not something he's getting from lawmakers. that raises the question, if that's what he wanted from his lawyers. >> yeah. i think that the lawyers i spoke to in south carolina also said, look, the smart move for butch b

blasting the republican governor of georgia, coming out and calling on a primary challenge for john thune and that was obviously a warning to the senators up in 2022 like langford and ron johnson and kennedy. so all of these republicans are walking a fine line and it's basically all about trump at this point. >> beth, i don't want to lose the big picture here, which is that what these senators are doing is bad for our democracy. i wonder, as you talk to your sources on capitol hill, do you think there is any interest? do you think there's any appetite forth being consequences for the gop senators that are going along with this charade? >> not so far. and they're playing a very short game, obviously. i mean, yes, 2022 is hovering over a lot of these guys and they don't want to be primaried, but the long-term damage that they're doing is extraordinary. what they're essentially saying is, if you don't like the outcome of an election, if your side loses, call the whole thing fraudulent, call the who he will go -- the whole thing rigged. that is a long-term consequence of this. so, okay, these

the president, for example, went after the number two republican in the senate, john thune, and evendvocated for him to be primaried, basically pushing for him to be unseated because thune criticized efforts to overturn the electoral college results when they are certified in a joint session of congress on january 6th. senator josh hawley is expected to lead the charge in the senate to object to at least one state's certification of the electoral college votes and he's being joined by dozens of republicans in the house. a handful of those republicans led by congressman gohmert did file the lawsuit that was focused on challenging pence's role in counting those votes. but that was tossed out in court and pence had remained silent about the lawsuit for days. however, he did respond in a filing asking the court to toss it out because he said he did not have the authority to discard electoral college votes. and meanwhile, that is not the only setback that the president has faced just in the last day. congress voted overwhelmingly to reject his veto of the defense spending bill. it's the f

to the rank and file, that's the overwhelming assessment from the republicans, including senator john thune who i asked can you defend what donald trump did in runup to the january 6 riot. he told me no, not at all. he said the way he handled himself, i cannot defend him. i said then what do you do, how do you hold him accountable. he said that's a good question. that could be up to a court of law. and jon cornyn said i can't defend what donald trump did. i said what are you going to do about it. he said well, he is being held accountable by the court of public opinion. so erin, you see a difference in rhetoric between republicans on the house and senate side. the ultimate outcome is the same. both caucuses in house and senate, neither of them want to do anything to take action against donald trump because of what they're seeing about backlash that occurred from the right going after those ten republicans that voted to impeach trump early this month, including congresswoman liz cheney, number three republican who trump defenders are targeting, trying to oust from her leadership post, push h

that's majority whip john thune. the president actually encouraged the pro-trump governor of south dakota to primary thune, essentially advocating for him to be voted out of office because thune has been one of many senators who have been vocal about opposing their colleagues' attempts to challenge the electoral college results this week. senator josh hawley is leading the charge in the senate for the gop saying he will object to the electoral college votes of at least one state. but there are dozens and dozens of republicans in the house who plan to do the same. obviously it's not going to change the electoral college results, it's really just a protest vote. but it's setting up a painful test for republicans if this becomes not just a ceremonial certification, but members are forced to put their votes on record in favor of or against the results. >> the surreal scene continues as donald trump gets ready to leave the white house. sarah westwood, thank you very much. >> thanks. >>> so you just heard wednesday's vote

senator john thune making clear this is a party that's been about one man for the better part of the last five years. how does the party move on from that? senator john cornyn saying, this, today, was rock bottom. how does the party move on from that? one question, which is how is this different than a lot of things we have seen over the last four years? but those are all things that are playing out, and we are going to see them play out in major, major focus over the next two weeks. >> yeah, i mean, rock bottom. there hasn't even been an accounting, yet, of what happened on their watch and what they allowed. you mentioned senator thune. all these guys, who are quiet, you know, ignoring it is empowering it. they are going to want a fresh start. they are not going to get one. they are going to forum shop for a long time in terms of how they media expose themselves. i will come right back to you. let's discuss the implications going forward. we have nia malika henderson and ron brownstein. thank you very much. nia malika henderson. this idea of an autopsy by the republican party. i don'

has gone after republicans who have said they will not object to the election results, including john thune, the number two republican senator, calling for him to be primaried in south dakota. for many of these lawmakers looking to protect their seats, they do not want to be primaried by a trump-backed candidate. it puts them in a very precarious situation and it's obvious where the power lies in the republican party. it begins and ends with president trump. i do want to point out, there are some republicans that have come out and essentially said that they are going to support the certification of the electoral college results, including lisa murkowski of alaska and of course pat toomey, the senator from pennsylvania, a state that many of these lawmakers have frequently cited as one where the election results are, for some reason, dubious without real, substantial evidence of widespread election fraud. i want to read to you a portion now from a statement put out by senator toomey. he writes, quote, the evidence is overwhelming that joe biden won this election. his narrow victory in pennsyl

senator john thune, the number two republican, who considers this a waste of time and unnecessary exercise. but then you have other republicans much harsher. senator ben sasse and his facebook page to his colleagues saying this is a dangerous move to actually go ahead and play with the electoral college results and finally, house lawmaker adam kinzinger, who says that this is a sad scam. this is a scam, calling his colleagues congressional grifters for simply pursuing this and getting something in return, in his opinion. for pursuing something that really has very little basis. ana? >> and we just got this statement from lisa murkowski, republican senator from alaska. following the statement and these developments this afternoon among other republican senators now saying they're going to join hawley. she says, i will vote to affirm the 2020 presidential election. the courts and state legislatures have all honored their duty to hear legal allegations and have found nothing to warrant overturning the results. i urge my colleagues from both parties to recognize this and to join me in maintain

but you look at people like john thune, susan collins, romney -- who has been a tower of courage, by months -- somehow, that wing of the party has got to get itself together so it can stand against the wing that is very proud and loud right now, and if we don't have some sort of rivalry over the soul of the party, it's not only the rob portmans of the world who are going to leave it, it's suburban voters, there are a lot of voters on that side who do not like what happened january 6th r long. so the survival to have the party depends on the rallying of what we used to think are normal republicans, and they have stuck their head up here and there, but no rallying, no organization, not much of a caucus, so there has to be at least the fight to defend the party. >> woodruff: in ten seconds, jonathan, anything democrats can do as all this is going on? >> i have no idea, other than stand back and watch. >> woodruff: on that note, friday night, jonathan capehart, david brooks, thank you both. >> thanks. you. >> woodruff: and now, as we do every friday, we take a moment to share the stories

. >> reporter: john, we saw the president fire at john thune because thune has been among those saying it is not the role of senators, lawmakers or anyone at this point to challenge the electoral college results. trump is calling on the pro trump governor to primary thune. he is suggesting lawmakers who stand in the way of his wishes should be rejected all the while praising the smaller number of congressional republicans who plan to object to the certification of the election results on wednesday that is led in the senate by josh hawley and has dozens of house republicans and incoming republicans who plan to challenge the results at trump's behest. >> sarah westwood, thank you very much. >>> on wednesday as sarah said, congress is expected to vote to certify joe biden's victory in the 2020 election. that isn't coming without its own challenges. cnn's phil mattingly has more. >> reporter: as the 116th congress comes to an end, well, the president with a pretty sharp rebuke from both republicans and democrats. now that doesn't mean the relations with congress are officially over. in fac

senate republicans, who are very, very critical of the president's rhetoric, people like senator john thune, the number two republican raising some serious concerns, but the vice president himself staying quiet about the president's actions amidst all of this as the president was demanding he do something completely out of bounds and unconstitutional, which was to essentially throw out the electoral votes and essentially try to declare the election somehow not valid, but pence did not do that of course at 4:00 a.m. congress certified that joe biden won this election. >> manu raju once again thank you for your work there. we are glad you're safe. keep on reporting. keep us posted as to what you hear today. >>> joining us now cnn political commentator van jones, john harwood and andrew mccabe, the former deputy director of the fbi. john, i want to start with you on the breaking news which is that mick mulvaney, former white house chief of staff who up until a few minutes ago was was the special envoy to northern ireland, he has quit. he says, i just can't do it based on what he saw yesterday.

he's probably going to take on john thune, the senator from south dakota. it's not that his wrath isn't real. they decided putting the country behind their ambition, that they have all this desire with no conviction is somehow okay. that piece you showed by the a.p. i think is somehow mystifying. the idea there is any choice between donald trump and the future of the country, that somehow any of this is going to go down like donald trump wants it to. he sends out this tweet basically saying mike pence can do this. he can't. trump knows that. his lawyers know that. we have an establishment piece of the party that was too bereft as you mention of principle and has been laid bare by trump. too many of them have stayed too silent for too long and they think that's going to make them okay, serve them well. then you have people like hawley and cotton and cruz and all these other folks who think somehow donald trump is going to go away and just layout the red carpet for him for one of them or another to be the heir apparent to his presidency. he's not going to let

from ben sasse, people like susan collins and la murkowski, and john thune, the majority whip.ber that. we know this is high-stakes. by the way, i note with the time here, voters in georgia or people who know people in georgia, you have 20 minutes left, little more than that to get to the polls. if you are in line by 7:00, you can still vote. we know what is at stake here. tomorrow, this isn't just going to be a partisan fight. this is going to be a fight between those who are standing up for democracy and those who are literally seeking to undermine the votes of the people of this country. judy: president trump is sayin i'm quoting him, last night he ntsaid he hopes vice presi prints -- hence "comes through, ," but then today he tweeted that the vice president has the po reject fraudulently voted electors. that is not true but the president said it. se klobuchar: well if you believe that, you believe everything he saysn twitter. the answer is straightforward. the vice o presidethe united states whether it was joe biden four years ago or mi n pence today the decider. they are t

from people like susan collins and lisa merkoswki, and john thune, who is the majority whip.remember th. and we know this is high stakes. and, by the way, i just note georgia or people who know in people in georgia, you have about 20 minutes left, a little more tat, to get to the polls. if you are in line by 7:00, you can still vote. so we know what is at stake but tomorrow, this isn't just going to be a partisan fight. this is going to fe aht between those who are standing up for democracy and those who are literally seeking to undermine the votes of the people of this country. >> woodruff: president trump is saying that vice president pence-- and i'm quoting him today-- last night he said he hopes vice presidee pence "c through." but then today, the president tweeted, "the vice president has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors." that is not believed to be true, but the president said it. >> yeah, well, ifou believe that, you believe everything he says on twitter. and the answer is pretty straightforward. the vice president of the united states, whether it was j