but tonight we get to ask lew lukens what happened because lew lukens, that career diplomat central to that story will join us for his first on-camera interview about all of this live here next. have been looking forward to for a very long time. i did not know that we were going to be able to get it. when i found out that we got it, i -- anyway, i feel honored to have this interview tonight, and i hope that you will watch it. for 30 years our next guest served in the foreign service, including stints as the u.s. ambassador to senegal. for serve seven months he served as the acting u.s. ambassador to the uk at the beginning of the trump administration. but it was in 2018 in his role as the deputy chief of mission at the u.s. embassy in london, the number two position at the u.s. embassy in britain, that lewis lukens learned of a remarkable request, a jaw-dropping request, something absolutely unthinkable from any other presidential administration. he learned that president trump had asked the u.s. ambassador to britain, woody johnson, to try to get the british government to move the bri

lewis lukens is now retired from the foreign service. he was sent home by ambassador woody johnson about seven months before his tour of duty was due to end there, and he chose to retire at that time. but now that he's a private citizen, he is now speaking out in person and on the record about what he saw happen during his tenure there. watch. >> the ambassador came back from a meeting at the white house. the very next morning he came and talked to me. he said the president wants me to do this. who should i talk to? how should i go about doing it? i said, you can't. you shouldn't. this is unethical, probably illegal. a couple weeks later he asked again. i gave him the same answer. he then had a meeting with the british -- made the request or made the suggestion at least after which i was informed that. and i, you know, let washington know, but also kept detailed notes on my own of what was happening at the time. >> can you spell this out? i realize this may be elementary and seem very obvious to you, but just for the benefit of me and fo

lukens replied, quote, no one.ortedly went ahead and did it, he raised it with the british government and delivered this request for a senior british government official. and that scandal, that grade-a example of base level corruption in government is a matter that is now believed to be included in an investigatory report by the office of the inspector general at the state department. that report, however, has never been released. well, i'm pleased to say that joining us now for the interview, his first since "the new york times" story broke is former ambassador and now retired career foreign service officer lewis lukens. he currently is a senior partner with signam global advisers. thanks for making the time. >> thank you, it's a pleasure to be with you. >> i've been summing up the way i understand this story based just on public reporting mostly from "the times" but also a few other outlets. i just want to ask if anything that i've said strikes you as wrong or if i'm looking at any of this the wrong way around or

in the wake of this recent public reporting and these shocking allegations from ambassador lewis lukens, you first called for the resignation of ambassador johnson, who's still currently in post in london. you've now taken it a step further and said that the fbi should investigate this as potential criminal behavior on his part. why do you think it rises to the level of what you want to be a criminal investigation here? >> thank you for your question. we know that what ambassador johnson did was unethical. what congresswoman kathleen rice and i want to know is was it also illegal. and in this case, two out of three elements of solicitation

. >> reporter: dennis luken was a police detective back then.ated the source of those drugs tonia found in the cedar box. he started at john's house. and found a gun. illegal, because john was on probation. so he was arrested again and sent to jail. >> when he went to montgomery county jail, i called a supervisor. i said, "you've got an individual there, john meehan, and he's gonna try to con you out of drugs." he says, "he already has. he claimed he fell out of the top bunk and he got pain medication." >> reporter: you're dealing with an incorrigible person here. >> yes, sir. you're dealing with an addict. a very sar >> reporter: eventually, thanks to luken, john did jail time for stealing drugs in ohio and michigan. and tonia felt guilty. wondering if she'd missed warning signs. wondered what else john might have hidden from her. never thought about the clue. way back at the beginning. on her wedding video. >> and the groomsmen who'd had some drinks and have their arms around each other, and they're talking about how they met him. >> we're her

throwing his weight behind extending is significant because it flies against the calls of summer lukenshat have become fiscal hawks. president trump not known as being a fiscal hawk by any stretch of the administration. is he lining up more on the democrat side? maria: on this particular -- kevin: on this particular issue, you are correct. there are many republicans, senator ted cruz, for example, who are incredibly uncomfortable with getting on board with this type of spending. in fact, leader mcconnell has said he believes those arguments are justified. but in terms of where the president is going, he has to go on the campaign trail and is fighting a tough reelection battle, and he's got to be able to go to many of these states, to workers who are unable to find work right now were unable economy,ck into the through no fault of their own given the pandemic, and he's got to be able to look in the eye and say vote for me again. in order to do that, this is the type of economic relief that is needed. jonathan: some clarity on an important thing, for people outside the united states not f