and will he and mitch mcconnell have a fight? mitch mcconnell went through this a few years back over tea party nominees. this ups the stakes to go after a former president who, we know, has lost power in washington. his legacy is indelablindeliabl stained. will trump go quietly or try to pick and get involved in every fight? today he tells us he wants to fight. wolf, that's a problem for the party, which would prefer to org organize, get ready for 2022, focus on opposing the biden agenda at key points, cooperating in other points. guess what, they have a trump problem. it's not going anywhere. >> you're absolutely right. dana, mcconnell has been trying to have it both ways, voting to acquit trump. at the same time he has a moral responsibility. the former president, for the capitol attack. clearly either he's with trump or against trump, right? >> well, he is in never, neverland right now, which is an interesting place to be when you are the effective leader of your party right now. he's the highest ranking elected republican on

mitch mcconnell himself said that. the senators have decided to hang their hat on jurisdictional grounds. >> it was not my intention to come to this press availability no matter how tempting it would be to sing the praises of her house managers. and on behalf of my grandchildren who do great hope and inspiration we cannot be powder and that clarity that you presented and again the you have been to so many people. so when we recruit candidates to run for office or see them self recruiting, we always say i be the president of my university or the head of my hospital. but we don't learn without options and that's why we look to run because you have options that should not be a reason for you not to run. so we saw a cowardly group of republicans apparently have no options because they were afraid to defend their job and respect the institution of which they serve. but that in so many bad ways of one even go into and that they were not respect their institute that is a president of the senate. haying mike pence was the chan

professor, mitch mcconnell— long trial. professor, mitch mcconnell said _ long trial.rial. professor, mitch - mcconnell said that trump used the 74 million people who voted for him as a human shield against criticism. there is nevertheless a lot of anger among rank—and—file republicans, not in washington, people who did vote for president trump who do see this as political theatre and have seen democrats out to get him for the last four years, where does this leave then? is there any hope for unity and has this child made that more difficult? it unity and has this child made that more difficult?— more difficult? it should not. it ma . i more difficult? it should not. it mav- i could — more difficult? it should not. it may. i could not— more difficult? it should not. it may. i could not disagree - more difficult? it should not. it may. i could not disagree more more difficult? it should not. it - may. i could not disagree more with my colleague who said that claims that the constitution bar trying private citizens, utterly false. nothing in the constitution or nats, i t

mcconnell wanted more of this.one a trump loyalty set of sorts for senate candidate races in key countries. >> let's go to republican governor and congressman from carolina mark sanford and chief correspondent for politico and politico playbook, ryan liza. governor, let's just be clear here. this is a declaration of a war going on. this is clear, the republican party can never be strong with leader mitch mcconnell at its hem going on to say he will back primary rivals who espouz making america great again. >> well, i have rather first-hand knowledge of that given that trump came against me in a primary. so, yes, this is further declaration of a war that has been brewing for four years. it's a further lockdown as to how trump is going to behave going forward and it's a continuation of political double speak. it's astounding to me that in the text of what trump sent forward was among the other hits on mcconnell was a personal hit saying you can really say nothing about china based on your wife's holdings with regard

that was mitch mcconnell's voice. papers to walk them over and it was mitch mcconnell who already called the senate into recess. it on him. how can he possibly say, well, man, we couldn't do it. that was his doing. >> it a fair question, stephanie. and mcconnell did not say if he would have found trump guilty on the charges were he still president. so he was a little vague on that point. what the mcconnell aides i talked to say is that he believed in the week or so that the senate had before president donald trump was going to leave office and the time that the house impeached that the senate could not conclude a trial of him at the time. but i will point out the vote on constitutionality was tuesday. a majority of the senate ruled that it was constitutional to try the president. the only vote today was guilty or not guilty. that was the decision by mcconnell and other republican senators to say he is not guilty, however they wanted to justify it. >> you can listen to what he says and watch what he does and mitch mcco

but he forgets that mcconnell does smile, and he does win. he smiles when he wins as he did when he used trump to get his own political agenda across the finish line. >> he's happy we still have a republican majority. we look forward to working with him. i think most of the things that he's likely to advocate, we're going to be enthusiastic for. [ inaudible ] we'd fill it. [ laughter ] >> and in trump's final paragraph of his middle school roasting of mcconnell, quote, prior to the pandemic, we produced the greatest economy and jobs numbers in the history of our country. and, likewise, our economic recovery after covid was the best in the world. you notice that there? the keyword in that sentence, after covid? does he mean after he had covid? because we're still knee deep in it. we being america. that is thanks in part to trump. he didn't have a vaccine rollout plan. he didn't have a mitigation plan that could open the economy safely. and he constantly mocked mask wearing and rejected science. but since only seven republicans voted to convict

mitch mcconnell himself said that. we senators have decided to hang our hats on jurisdictional grounds which are not raised on evidence, which are not a stone the fact and they will have to be judged for that. we have done our duty for the american people. >> let me introduced speaker pelosi and i will come to you next. >> it had not been my intention to come to this press availability however tempting it would be to sing the praises of our house managers. on behalf of not only of the house of representatives, on behalf of the american people and i have to save personally on behalf of my grandchildren you give great hope and inspiration from each and every one of you. i could not be prouder of your patriotic presentations, the clarity in which you presented and again the inspiration that you have been to so many people. so i thank you for that. it reminds me that when we recruit candidates to run for office and when we see them self precluding we always say well i could be the president of my university or the head of

mcconnell's speech. permission for this covid package to go ahead and in a way with probably less obstruction than you've seen at any time since the first months of the obama administration. >> well, we'll see how much obstruction we get when they actually get to the bill. john heilemann, david frum, thank you, both, for joining us tonight. really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> take care. >>> coming up, mitch mcconnell says donald trump hasn't gotten away with anything yet because donald trump is still subject to criminal prosecution. chuck rosenberg joins us next. as donald trump's possible future as a criminal defendant starts to come into focus. ♪ i've got the brains,♪ ♪ you've got the looks ♪ ♪ let's make lots of money ♪ ♪ you've got the brawn ♪ ♪ i've got the brains ♪ ♪ let's make lots of... ♪ ♪ uh uh uh ♪ ♪ oohhh ♪ ♪ there's a lot of opportunities ♪ with allstate drivers who switched saved over $700 saving is easy when you're in good hands. allstate. click or call to switch today. it's either the

mcconnell's speech. and permission for this covid package to go ahead and in a way with probably less obstruction than you've seen at any time since the first months of the obama administration. >> well, we'll see how much obstruction we get when they actually get to the bill. john heilemann, david frum, thank you, both, for joining us tonight. really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> take care. >>> coming up, mitch mcconnell says donald trump hasn't gotten away with anything yet because donald trump is still subject to criminal prosecution. chuck rosenberg joins us next. as donald trump's possible future as a criminal defendant starts to come into focus. want to brain better? unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. to support local restaurants, we've been to every city, including baton rouge... and even topeka. yeah

who again, mitch mcconnell even as he was going to court, donald trump, mitch mcconnell essentially said and we saw how this ended. listen, i don't think mitch mcconnell deserves any praise, any pat on the back for picking on marjorie taylor greene who certainly deserves criticism, but it's a much larger problem than marjorie taylor greene. we'll see what kevin mccarthy does, but we already know what he did do which was not back her opponent, put her on this committee obviously as well and he's dragging his feet at this point, right? everything we know about marjorie taylor greene and some of the things she said is out there. a lot of stuff she said is horribly offensive, racist as well. and so, kevin mccarthy has to have a meeting to discuss what the options are rather than acting swiftly to deal with her. so i think, you know, it's a little too late not only for mitch mcconnell but kevin mccarthy as well to reign in parts of the party that had been out there for years and years and years. and had been allowed to ma it's a size, to continue this cancer metaphor that mitch mcconnell brin

senator mcconnell was not one of them. shortly after voting not guilty, mcconnell says that. president trump is practically and aresponsible for provoking the event of the day. no question about it. former president trump's actions proceeded the riot, a disgraceful election. >> why did he vote not to convict? >> i believe the best constitution reading shows that article 2, section 4, exhausts the set of person who can legitimately impeach or try or con convicted. it is the president, the vice president and civil office. we have no power to convict and disqualify a former office holder who's now a private citizen. >> he announced he would not allow a trial of donald trump until after president biden's inauguration. nancy pelosi clearly infuriated by the hypocrisy. >> to say all the things he said oh my gosh about donald trump and how horrible he was and is and then said but, the time the house chose to bring it over, no, we didn't. you chose not to receive it. it was not the reason that he voted for what he did or what the excuse that he used. >> we have new reporting of how t

after a series of attacks by mitch mcconnell. does he vote to acquit but then gave a blistering attack of trump's conduct on january 6 and then following it up with an op-ed this morning. it said there is no question former president trump bears moral responsibility. his supporters stormed the capital because of the unhinge falsehoods he shouted into the largest mega phone. his behavior and during and after the chaos is unconscionable but it is not a final moral tribunal, suggesting that the president could face criminal charges. the big point here, though, wolf, it is clear now that mcconnell and trump have taken sides and they are willing to go to battle on the the political playing field in the upcoming 2022 midterms. this is a worst case scenario for republicans as they attempt to unify and win back control of the house and senate and the biggest problem is in the primaries with the former president involved in the process and take on republicans who are not loyal to him and his agenda. it is going to make the next two years

mitch mcconnell who won this distinguished. group of house managers were gathered on january 15th to deliver the articles of impeachment could not were told it could not be received because mitch mcconnell had to shut down the senate and was going to keep it shut down until right until the inauguration so for him to get out there and make this indictment against the president and then say but i can't i can't vote for it because it's after the fact that's fact that he established the fact that he established that it could not be delivered before the inauguration now when you think about january 6th between january 6th and 323 aren't talking about just under 2 weeks a day under 2 weeks so. the big lies as stop the steal the big law that you talked about stop the steel was the momentum for getting these people there on the 6 they honestly believe for whatever reason maybe too much social media whatever watch social media that movie. why were they were thinking that that was true that the lection was not legitimate whatever the rea

. >> mitch mcconnell votes to acquit. but -- >> former president trump's actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty. >> the most bipartisan impeachment vote in u.s. history. >> he incited that mob. he lit the match. come on. get real. we know that this is what happened. >> this impeachment is completely divorced from the facts, the evidence, and the interest of the american people. >> but the former president's party stands by their man. >> i think most republicans found the presentation by the house managers offensive and absurd. >> how closely has the gop now tied itself to mr. trump and his behavior. my guests this morning, the top democratic impeachment manager, jamie raskin, republican governor larry hogan of maryland, and democratic whip, senator dick durbin of illinois. plus, the cdc announces new guidelines on opening schools and the biden administration secures 200 million more vaccine doses. i'll talk to the new director of the cdc, rochelle walensky. joining me for insight an

senator mcconnell was right. when the indictment came in from the house, the article of impeachment, we had a sitting president. that was donald j. trump. but when we had the trial the, he was not. he's an ordinary citizen. and leader mcconnell, quite frankly, was correct in interpretation of article ii, section four of the constitution that we cannot proceed against a trial for a person who's no longer the president. there's nothing to be removed. he's gone. and that's what democrats could never get over, the fact that they needed to get even with donald trump. they needed to enact revenge against donald trump. and who won today? the constitution. that's what won today. this nightmare is over for the american people. it's time to get beyond this, if democrats can manage to do it. we've wasted three weeks of a new presidency bogged down, and meanwhile the pandemic continues, we have americans out of work. this is the work that should be done now, and i'm hoping the democrats can just let donald trump go and get o

cabinet and any legislative efforts so it was a game of chicken which senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is excellent at and it seems that the republicans won and how much of that complicate things i suppose the timing of all of this when president joe biden has cabinet appointments to deal with the coronavirus relief package it's a packed legislative agenda that was a need to expedite the process has that at home full or counterproductive in some way. absolutely there was this need to do other things and president biden has made clear that he wants to move on he didn't stand in the way of this but he also wasn't enthusiastic a big supporter of it he doesn't want his presidency to be all about donald trump so he would like to move on to talk about things like coronavirus and the economy and there are many of his nominees who are still sitting without their confirmation hearings and that's a important part of moving forward so i think that those are our major issues of course we will hear president trump on tao diddly gloat about this and the fact that the party now belongs to people like

can they really replace mcconnell?> there's very little donald trump accomplished that you can't thank mitch mcconnell for getting done. this actually feels very quaint and sort of like it's normalizing. hannity's entire shtick is going after republican leadership and telling republican voters why they're bad. this isn't a fair fight for mitch mcconnell. i don't want to suggest that it is. he's got people like sean hannity and all kinds of senators who will probably take donald trump's side. but i think mitch mcconnell understands that. mitch mcconnell is just a political animal, and i think we have to accept that's what he is. when he's looking at it and saying i don't want to elect a kelli ward in arizona or nominate them when you know they're not going to win, being a realist is the best we could hope for. it's not going to poof go away. we need to take steps towards becoming a normal party again and that starts with at least having that fight. so i'm glad he's doing it. >> brendan is excited about this riff between

he clearly read mitch mcconnell's book.s mentor, john sherman cooper. he says how do you take such a tough stand and square it with the fact that a considerable number of people who elected you have the opposite view. he didn't hesitate a moment. i not only represent kentucky, i represent the nation and there are times you follow and times when you lead. claire mccaskill, you and i were on the air together a couple times yesterday, and you were back-and-forths. where are you on the genuineness of his remarks? >> well, let's be clear one thing that he did do yesterday. he made sure that there is a real war within the republican party, because he gave a lock-him-up speech, chuck. he said lock him up. he gave an invitation for criminal prosecution to the nation's prosecutors. and he's the highest ranking republican in the country. >> yep. >> so yesterday was a bad day for donald trump, but it was a worse day for the republican party. why did he do that? he can't stand donald trump. he thinks donald trump cost him the majority.

senate ma minor leader mitch mcconnell was not one of them. but in a head-scratching floor speech, he nevertheless excoriated the former president for his actions on january 6th and said trump is responsible for the violence that occurred. >> president trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. no question about it. a mob was assaulting the capitol in his name. these criminals were carrying his banners. hanging his flags. and screaming their loyalty to him. it was obvious. only president trump could end this. he was the only one. >> so, why did mcconnell vote to acquit? he said he doesn't believe the senate has the power to convict a former president. house speaker nancy pelosi calling mcconnell a coward and a hypocrite. one house impeachment manager saying, quote, they let him off on a technicality. as for the former president, gloating and making it clear he's not going anywhere now, putting out this statement. "our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to make america great again has only just beg

donald trump has hit back at mitch mcconnell after mcconnell blamed him for provoking the write on the. trump blamed him for the party's problems including the loss of georgia's two senate seats and the senate majority. in a more than 600 word statement, trump wrote mcconnell's dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill and personality has rapidly driven him from majority leader to minority leader. he also wrote, mitch is a dower, sullen and unsmiling political hack and if republican senators will stay with him, they will not win again. he will never do what needs to be done or what is right for our country. the former president vowed to back maga challengers. and he also took a swipe at mcconnell's wife former transportation second elaine chao who resigned in the wake of the capitol rio trump i don't mcconnell has no credibility on china. he does nothing on this tremendous economic and military threat mind you trump appointed chao to his cabinet. some are coming to trump's defense. here is what senators lindsey grah

and an extraordinary post verdict attack party leader mitch mcconnell says trump is responsible for the assault on capitol hill. there's no question about. their present troubles practically. and morally responsible. for provoking. also had me at most military rulers to give themselves more power as as they face intensifying anger over last week's. donald trump says his political movement has only just begun after being acquitted by the u.s. senate in his 2nd impeachment trial in 12 months democrats fell 10 votes short of a conviction as fellow republicans largely swung behind the former president to shield him from responsibility for the deadly capitol hill riots on january 6th the . $57.00 days for ease 3. 2 thirds of the senators present not having been very guilty the judges that responded john trump former president states is not guilty as charged in articles of impeachment reacting almost immediately via a statement trump sank his legal team and hinted at plans for the future saying he has much to share in the months ahead leading republican senator mitch mcconnell was among those

mcconnell took it really hard.te and to georgia runoffs. basically it's a mcconnell-trump battle for 2022. >> bret: it will be the story. stand by, up next, state democrats turn on democratic governor andrew cuomo in new york. with us. 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 right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ i'm a performer. we're made for. always have been. and always will be. never letting anything get in my way. not the doubts, distractions, or voice in my head. and certainly not arthritis. voltaren provides powerful arthritis pain relief to help me keep moving. and it can help you too. feel the joy of movement with voltaren. [♪♪] when you have diabetes, managing your blood sugar is crucial. try boost glucose control. the patented blend is clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels. boost glucose control prod

>> i think mitch mcconnell is for mitch mcconnell. he wants to resume his leadership position and it's all about self preservation. the net effect about all of this is that if donald trump stays healthy, financially afloat and unindicted, and those are three big ifs, he will continue to be the dominant force of this republican party whether he's the candidate in 2024 or not. >> so, let's be clear, though, scott, that was no vote of conscience. that was a vote of calculation, period. >> well, it was a vote that he had to cast, i think he believes, because he thinks the future politics of the party will be sorted out in these primaries. i think mike is right, that donald trump is the dominant figure in the party. and, obviously, this will spill over into the senate primaries and the presidential primary in 2024. >> i hear you. >> so the question is, are we going to nominate candidates who can't win, like donald trump didn't win this last presidential election or are we going to nominate candidates who appeal for a broader base? >> that'

but mitch mcconnell enabled that mob.dies line it up with far right parties that are part of india and erduwan. it was a vote for the philosophy of politics that says that violence is an acceptable recourse to solve your problems which goes back to fascism in the age of military coups. this was a coup attempt. election results become -- that you don't like become just another, you know, informs point to be denied and fabricated, replaced with the information you need to stay in office. so this is -- this is -- all of it is very indicative of the g.o.p. having the authoritarian political culture. >> neil, even some of the republican senators who voted to acquit conceded that house managers did a good job making their case, that they took us through the day. they laid out the time line leading up to that day for a couple of months. they described the big lie and showed a pattern of inciting violence from president trump. yet, those senators hid behind a jurisdiction argument to vote to acquit. is there any basis for that? w

mitch mcconnell with bret baier. could you ask mitch mcconnell a question for us? i want to get his answer on mr. potato head going genderless? i want to see what he thinks about that, ask him that. >> bret: what happened to mrs. potato head, right? [laughter] she now also genderless? >> greg: she disappeared on a hiking trip. to be when you have any other questions for senator mcconnell? >> jesse: you don't like the genderless thing? >> bret: i think it's okay. anything else? >> bret: cuomo, i'd ask him about cuomo. >> bret: okay. we will see if we can get there. good evening, welcome to washington i'm bret baier, breaking tonight in a few minutes i will speak exclusively with senator minority leader mitch mcconnell in his first television interview since december and comes on the date the biden administration civil rights a vaccination milestone and the massive stimulus package. fox team coverage peter doocy, leads us off on the north line. good evening. >> i asked president biden whatever happened to his promise from seven weeks ago that relief checks were going

senator mcconnell was not one of them. shortly after voting not guilty, mcconnell says that.

mcconnell is not making the case for those things to happen.gives, in theory, a prosecutor or a grand jury or future attorney general or something some evidence to help try to make his case or her case if they were to try to pursue a prosecution in the courts of former president trump. again, mcconnell not actively making the case for that. just saying it's possible. it gives mcconnell some way for the history books to say, i wasn't really trying to help trump. i was just trying to protect the institution. after, i think you can also make a case for weakening the institution against the impeachment power. there is a lot of duality, gives him a lot of running room for he and his party to make different arguments. in the end, it's frustrating to democrats and to the seven republicans because, regardless of what he said, his actions and leadership leading up to it blocked anything other than an acquittal from taking place. >> guy myth, margaret, appreciate you both so much. thank you. >>> now that the impeachment trial is over, what's next? presid

in mcconnell's effect.ost: president trump previously praised the republican leader for his judicial push to put conservatives on the court and for getting through brett kavanaugh and neil gorsuch. what do you make of president trump blaming the republican leader for losing the senate? caller: the thing about president trump is that we know he has thin skin. his policies were great and i am a trump supporter. we know he is thin-skinned so corsi is going to criticize mcconnell. it doesn't change the fact that mcconnell has been a dim good leader. maybe we should do a show on pelosi and schumer and they are very good for the country. host: ask in your views of mitch mcconnell and his leadership of the republican party in the senate. we showed you what donald trump had to say about senator mcconnell and blaming him for what happened in the election cycle in the senate. writing in the opinion page today of the washington post that there is no amount of disaster that can shape the gop -- shake the gop loose from

where does that leave mcconnell?> let's walk through what mitch mcconnell disappeared mitch mcconnell delay the trial, specifically refused to begin a trial until donald trump left office, and then got up and said today the only reason he's not convicting him is because the trial did not begin until donald trump left office, which was mitch mcconnell's doing. mcconnell i thought today was desperately searching for someone, any to do what he lacked the courage to do, a civil suit, a criminal investigation, any kind of other legal activity that would accept the responsibility that he shirked to take a clear stand against trump, and he truly believes i believe that trump was responsible for the mop on the capitol. i mean, they want the advantages of, you know, the energy that he inspires among his base. they don't want the downside of all the things that he does delineate traditionally white, voters and at this point, it may be too late to reverse the inroads, beachhead on extremists making it on the party especially af

why is mitch mcconnell speaking out about this now?taking on a life of its own. it's obvious that some in the republican party want to go die on this hill. and i think he's sending up an urgent warning that we can't be a national governing party, we can't be a majority party, we can't even be competitive if we're going to be the party of, you know, jewish space lasers and that 9/11 didn't happen and all the conspiracy theories that he mentioned that marjorie taylor greene has expressed interest in. so i think mcconnell is trying to warn republicans we cannot go down this road if we want to be competitive in the future. i mean, the reality is, don, if she didn't have a laptop and a video camera, she'd have a sandwich board on a street corner. what she is saying is not even within the realm of what you and i and ana would consider normal political rhetoric. we're not talking about trade agreements here. we're talking about living in a completely different crazy, scary reality. i hope folks heed mitch mcconnell's warning because i think h

for leader mcconnell, he gave the president a loophole. and, again, i think the american people know what the president did. and, you know, he'll be held accountable in other forums whether criminal or civil liability. but we did our job. >> earlier this morning, the senate voted to call witnesses, which was a little bit of a surprise, including republican congresswoman jamie herrera beutler. but her statement was instead admitted into the evidence. i think a lot of people are wondering, why not just start there? why diddant house managers just ask to admit that into the evidence and avoid the perception that the democrats backed down from this request for witnesses after what seemed to be pressure from both sides of the aisle. >> so, abby, last night we wrapped up, in a meeting and saw the cnn reporting that jamie herrera beutler made this statement, that donald trump told kevin mccarthy these rioters are acting like they care more than you do. wanting to have a complete record, because we felt strong about our case at that point, we were

goes right after mitch mcconnell.ser to the former president, the op-ed in "the wall street journal" regarding the former president required a response. that's why we put it up on the screen. it's fairly personal which should not come as a surprise. mitch is a dauer, sullen and unsmiling political hack and if republican senators are going to stay with him they will not win again. now, we were told that there were other personal comments that the president wanted to make about mcconnell's chins and so on, and, you know, i talked to jason miller about this. he said, no, that's not the case. it was not supposed to be that personal although it may have been a more heated response that they were initially contemplating in terms of that statement that the president put out. the other thing we should point out, brooke, is that when trump made some comments on fox news earlier today, he took yet another veiled shot at mitch mcconnell and essentially said, well, if republicans could fight as hard as democrats when it comes to

mitch mcconnell split the baby a little bit.k that he still has sufficient control over the senate, having done what he did, or are we looking at people like lindsey graham and ted cruz and josh hawley and others really taking the trump mantel and carrying it forward in that chamber? >> well, i think that mcconnell is fine in terms of the power he has over the senate republican conference. i mean, if he were to vote to convict that would have been a much different equation, you know, i reported several weeks ago as he was toying with the idea of conviction or he was making clear that he thought that what donald trump did amounted to an impeachable offense that some of his colleagues were saying privately and some publicly that they could not support him for leader if he were to vote to convict. undoubtedly mitch mcconnell has his finger on the pulse of his conference, he is the longest serving republican leader in history and will continue to be so because he took the politically easy vote, which was to vote to acquit. now, for

mitch mcconnell was much to credit for -- mitch mcconnell working with donald trump did a -- of a job. they are now at each other's throat. i am more worried about 2022 the and i ever been. president trump is the most consequential republican in the party. if mitch mcconnell doesn't understand that, he is missing a lot. but my beef is not with mitch mcconnell, because we have the same policy views. my beef is that we need to knock this off. kevin mccarthy is the leader of the house republicans. he has taken a different approach to president trump. i would advise senator mcconnell to do that as president trump. you own the republican party, my friend. but 55% of the people wanted you impeached and removed. you are the hope of the future of conservatives, but we've got to make some changes to get back to the white house in 2024 and have the republican majority in the senate in the house in 20.2. i believe that democrats are doing all they can to help us. we just need to help ourselves. >> sean: the establishment wing of the republican party, if you can look at it through the lincoln pro

mitch mcconnell was not for the right in discrediting that. you take on the easiest crazies to take on but you avoid your responsibility to acquiescing in a much more dangerous set of lies. >> it's easier. it's the lower hanging fruit. i'm going to come back to you. >> david gergen to you, on kevin mccarthy. he could be talking to marjorie taylor greene as early as tonight. given the statement from mitch mcconnell, what do you think kevin mccarthy does? >> i think he's going to be very careful and cautious and essentially ask her to tone it down, and he will not go after her the way he should. i think he -- he needs to be tough with her. he needs to make it very clear that she's not going to be welcome within the party if she continues down these tracks. bill kristol is absolutely right as always on calling it as a -- it's farcical to have this woman representing the party, further radicalization that started years ago with newt gingrich and company and it's only gotten worse and i think more dangerous for the republican party. we need a cente

and mitch mcconnell. if he wants to be considered a leader, needs to figure out which side he's on. >> yeah. >> because straddling the fence is not a good look, at this state of his life. >> well, alice, let me ask you. mcconnell, telling this, to the "wall street journal," when asked about trump's role going forward. he says, i don't rule out the prospect that he may well be supporting good candidates. i'm not assuming that. to the extent the former president wants to continue to be involved, he won't be a constructive party of the process. we know what kind of candidates trump likes. so, what's mcconnell going to do, you know, if we see more in the vane of the marjorie-taylor-greene types? >> well, they will be in serious trouble. look. it's almost as if you are in a situation trying to break up with someone, saying really, it's not you, it's me. and we need to just rip the band-aid off and acknowledge the fact that since the president, former president, has been in the white house. we have lost the hou

mcconnell had a legitimate constitutional question.that i respect greatly on both sides of that question. and he said that our system of government allows donald trump to continue to face consequences, which is true. but he made his speech and he said what he thought was true, which a lot of people believe. 60% of the american people that trump is responsible. so i don't think he missed his moment. what he's thinking about is, the future. you have to remember, to understand mcconnell, you don't have to understand he wants to be liked or loved or adored by you or donald trump or anyone else. he just wants to have control so that republicans can have policy influence. and that's the difference between mcconnell and trump today. mcconnell has to get up and go to work every day. donald trump gets to get up and run his mouth. and this is the difference of these two guys. >> well, scott jennings, i'm sure we'll be talking about this going forward, right? the battle still rages, but it's always good to have you on. >> thanks, jim. >>> preside

i think mcconnell lost his

and it was mcconnell who decided to delay the trial until he became a former president.hink what you're seeing here is mcconnell laying down a marker saying we as republicans cannot take back the senate and the house without distancing ourselves from donald trump. but, you know, we've seen this play before. five years ago, there was an absolute conviction among mainstream republicans that donald trump was just going to disappear by the first primary. and i think what mcconnell is saying is we can't win if donald trump is-- is defining our party. but again, you've got people back home who are absolutely adamant, saying we are followers of donald trump, not you guys in washington. >> sreenivasan: does this now put trump behind us in terms of what president biden is trying to set out to do? >> i think from the president's point of view, and it's one of he's got a vid epidemic-- or pandemic-- to deal with. he's got an attempt to put massive sums of money into the pockets of people back home. and he's got the thinnest majorities in the hse and senate you could possibly have.

so is mitch mcconnell.he's a conservative on a lot of issues, but he's taken some other stances that at the time were really heroic. in fact, he was a civil rights champion as a republican in a time when that wasn't so common, unfortunately. i think mitch mcconnell ought to be worried about his legacy, not being majority leader again in two years maybe. he had a chance to take a stand on the right side of history. and as he i think very eloquently made the case that donald trump is, in fact, guilty, you know, of fomenting this riot, this insurrection, and yet he didn't vote for that. that's what confused me. and i was perplexed by that. >> yep, we were all hoping for some sort of viewer's guide after we witnessed that event, as i said, on live television. both of these gentlemen have agreed to stay here while i just fit in a quick break. we'll resume our conversation on the other side indeed. >>> coming up, joe biden keeping a low profile during impeachment as he had to. but how much of his administration s

mitch mcconnell decided not to.to want to go the route they didn't want to go with richard nixon, which was to use the courts to seek some kind of criminal sanction against him. so it appears there is a taste on the republicans' side for to be consequences. we will see whether the rubber hits the road, whether mitch mcconnell and his allies really mean this. of course, it will be up to the biden department of justice. let's see how republicans respond if merrick garland, the future attorney general, decides to move on a trump case. will republicans stand by and support that, or will they attack the biden administration for distraction for not focusing enough on the problems of the day? so it's unclear whether mitch mcconnell really intends to follow up on the meaning of his words. but if he does, the condemnation of trump, unlike that of richard nixon, will be criminal rather than political. >> tim annaphtali, we could continue this conversation for another 30 minutes. we have to move on. thank you so much for your

and he also takes at mitch mcconnell, the same mitch mcconnell he's been in a fight with over the last days. here is a bit of what trump had to say earlier today on fox. >> i think that we won substantially. and rush thought we won. and he thought it was over at 10:00, 10:30, it was over. and a lot of other people feel that way too. but rush felt that way strongly. and many people do. many professionals do. and i don't think that could have happened to a democrat. you would have had riots going all over the place if that happened to a democrat. we don't have the same support at certain levels of the republican system. but we are great people as republicans. and he was furious at it and many people are furious. you don't know how angry this country is. >> we should point out obviously it is false what former president is saying there about the election. but a few things we should point out, one is i talked to a trump adviser who said that donald trump will not only be on fox news earlier today, he will be on fox later on this evening. he will be on the other conservative tv sites out th

and mitch mcconnell knows that. to his colleagues that he thinks that this should be over so that they can get over with. and even the idea of witnesses, democrats may not want to do it, but republicans also have -- there is no up side for them in calling witnesses. >> and i think that we have to constantly ask the question, to what end? to managers not make an extraordinarily compelling case? the trial i observed this week, they made an incredibly powerful case. as you said, there's nothing about this that looks good for the former president. nothing about it. so i just keep asking, as i'm talking to people, they're like, well, there should be witnesses. i say to what end? what is it going to accomplish? could this case get any stronger than it is? i find that hard to believe. maybe some of the holes poked yesterday by the defense counsel can then be sort of re-sealed up for the house managers, but not for something that's going to alter the conclusion of how this trial is going to go or even how it's going to be r