financial crime. >> phil rucker, in the military they call it close air support. that's what close air support looks like and i guess we'll see more of that. that was the summation of the reporting tonight of your newspaper in "the new york times." >> yeah, brian, and that came from one of the president's friends and formal advisers, sean hannity, and i imagine we'll hear the same narrative coming from a number of hosts on fox. you know, look, they're trying to speak to the president's base and they're joining the president in creating sort of their own reality about this report. they're not look at the 448-page report which does detail extensively ten examples that were reviewed for obstruction of justice and instead pointing to no collusion and no obstruction which is what bill bar, the attorney general said from that four-page letter that now we learned thanks to max's reporting was seriously questioned by the special counsel. so, look, i think the president is going to continue to spin this the way he has and he's going to get a lot of air cover on fox and els

. >> phil rucker, i note that rudy giuliani is making the round phone calls with reporters. he told reporters from cnn tonight that mueller should stop, i believe the quote was "whining and complaining," that won't go well remaining among the institutionallists in washington. what's the reaction from the president? >> well, one thing, brian, with regard to the comment that rudy giuliani has been making of mueller whining and complaining. mueller has not whined or complained. he has not said anything publicly, he lets his work speaks through his indictment and through the page report. you do not see him on twitter or news conferences speaking about any of this and you see president trump repeatedly everyday complaining and whining about the investigation. setting that aside, i think the president is going to be upset that this letter came to light but i think he's going to have it. it is going to reaffirm his belief that bill barr is the attorney general he's looking for. he was not tough enough defending the president that he was not a rory cone who's the president's sort of

. >> joining us now white house bureau chief of "the washington post" phil rucker.nd the table are still here. before this started, they put up a picture of the republicans in the judiciary committee and i gasped. you couldn't find a trumpier group than the republicans on this committee. >> that's right. these were all allies of the president's and they were singing from the president's song book, as it were. it was like watching two entirely different hearings back and forth when the questions were being asked by the republican senators they focussed on the origins of the investigation, the steele dossier, alleged corruption at the leadership level of the fbi. and when democrats were asking questions of barr, it focussed on the mueller report and barr's conduct in handling the public release of that report and on the obstruction of justice examples involving the president. two entirely different hearings that i think speakand frankly, chamber we're going to see play out over the next several days where the president and his republican allies in congress will be com

phil rucker i'll with you. a more astute white house watcher does not exist from you. even for donald trump, i was emotionally drained by 10:00 a.m. >> it was a busy morning, nicole. look, the president clearly rattled and agitated by bob mueller's appearance yesterday it wasn't just this morning. he was up late into the night, at 11:00 at night he called bill o'reilly, o'reilly revealed in an interview this morning that the president called him from the white house to complain about mueller to say mueller is a never-trumper, to exclaim these conflict of interests. the president told reporters this morning that mueller came in to be interviewed to be fbi director, wanted the job and trump told him no. that's not quite right. mueller was brought in to the white house, to the oval office to meet with president trump in the wake of firing jim comey but more to seek his advise. the aides thought mueller might be able to explain to trump the origins of the fbi's independence, why it's important, he did not seek that job, he didn't apply for the job and therefore he wasn't r

phil rucker, you get to wind things up. take in the volume of stories we're talking about here tonight. the fact that, oh, by the way, we're in a trade war with china. there's talk, unbelievably, of a potential hot war with iran after being at war for 18 straight years in this country. where is this administration as of tonight? >> and we've got a crisis, brian, down in venezuela as well. look, president trump is grappling with so many crises all around the world, including here at home. he's got his re-election campaign gearing up which seems to be preoccupying much of his time. and we're heading into a period here where he's going to have several face-to-face encounters with foreign leaders including our allies, and we know what happens when he gets in the same room with some of the european leaders. there can be drama and fireworks there as well. and so it's a very trying time for him and he's still trying to grapple with the oversight investigations from congress and heading toward within -- democrats would say we're al

phil rucker, is mcgahn is loyalist or an traditionally i would say pick one. >> he's tried to be both a loyalist and an institutionalist, and he's continuing to try to do both of those things and he's finding it difficult. he certainly doesn't want to be in this moment where he has to choose sides and take orders from a white house he no longer serves. but there's a great deal of anxiety the president might feel about what mcgahn has to say. for that nar ffb to be spelled out in a written report, it's another thing entirely to have a national television spectacle of the former white house counsel before congress answering these questions under oath and getting in, frankly, into more detail than we read in the mueller report. >> that's right. barb, another matter for you to take on and that is this financial ruling by a federal judge today. now, this it seems to me as a civilian is different. this is an accounting firm. perhaps they're not going to have the wallet or the stomach for a protracted court fight. why would they? this is their work product. also, it seems to me this company

phil rucker, is mcgahn is loyalist or an institutionalist? traditionally i would say pick one. can't do both but that describes at least half of the u.s. senate on any given day. >> throughout don mcgahn's tenure in trump world which actually began before the launch of the campaign shl, he's tried be both a loyalist and an institutionalist and he's continuing to try to do both of those things and he's finding it difficult. he certainly doesn't want to be in this moment where he has to choose sides and take orders from a white house he no longer serves. but there's a great deal of anxiety the president might feel about what mcgahn has to say. it's one thing for all of those details for that narrative to be spelled out in a written report, the 400-page mueller report, it's another thing entirely to have a national television spectacle of the former white house counsel before congress answering these questions under oath and getting in, frankly, into more detail than we read in the mueller report. >> that's right. barb, another matter for you to take on and that is this financial

that's not the way our system is supposed to work. >> phil rucker it seems we're in dangerous territory when we accept their premises or playing on their field when we accept their premises and bet which is one their base will tolerate anything and everything, there is nothing they can do to alienate them, there's no limit to what they can distort and cartoon, in this case the separation of power, the foundation of how this town is supposed to work. i was in the unenhave i can't believe position of having to defend this man from time to time, it's so bad that john yu, who wrote during the bush years about enhanced interrogation measures and other things says, you know, basically what the democrats are saying, this is unprecedented, it's an extraordinary overreach to ignore subpoenas and really nobody thought john yu and the department of justice sort of functioned in a particularly generous way with congress during the bush years, he's sounding the alarms. that's how bad it is. >> yeah, we reached an extreme level and the president is testing things. this is in keeping with donald trump

also from the post white house bureau chief phil rucker and host of saturday night politics here on msnbc, donny deutsch. let me start with you, robert costa. hope hicks and annie donaldson not yet household names. if you've read the mueller report, the second volume around obstruction, they are as essential to painting the picture, offering this narrative in the president's own words as recipients and witnesses and observers of all these efforts to thwart the russia probe as anyone. >> they are witnesses not only to the president's conduct but his intent when he made certain decisions. that's what house democrats are trying to figure out. that's why they are calling him to capitol hill. they know don mcgahn's testimony will only take them so far. hope hicks was around him constantly, his confidante, strategist. also annie donaldson, how did mcgahn describe the conversations to her to, again, figure out the intent. >> your colleague wrote an article a few days after the mueller report was out. i was just handed my copy. i have a lot of hope hicks and annie donaldson footnotes. they appear

and as phil rucker was talking about a substantive comment from robert mueller. he has only spoken in substantive ways through the indictments he has put out and in the rare cases where he presumably has authorized his spokesperson at a couple junctures in this two plus year investigation to set the record straight on something or provide guidance or information. so, this is a high-water mark moment for the nation that is watching this unfold and the individual players who have been working the investigation here on capitol hill. and, certainly, for the public which in many ways are wary about this investigation, impassioned about it in other corners and at times saying to reporters like you and me, chris. tell me what happens when it's over. will today be a big marker in that path towards concluding this investigation and, of course, 2020 candidates out in the field doing their work. that, of course, brings up the issue of the danger to the next election of russia interference and the social media and hacking abilities of u.s. adversaries. chris? >> we have peop

. >> phil rucker, quickly. what's with the reluctance of the administration to brief congress about this? i mean, the frustration is evident, even among republicans. i've talked to some people who said, you know, when jim mattis was running the department -- >> a couple of things, and this is what kelly alluded to, that these can be difficult to schedule so they are setting aside the scheduling snafus and challenges. it speaks to the broader essential contempt that this administration has had towards congress. they are not responsive to the oversight inquiries. they are not responsive to other requests from the leaders in congress, and when you talk to lawmakers on capitol hill, they will say there's very little trust that they have in this administration and the national security team in the administration because they don't feel like they are being brought in as part of this process, and they don't feel like their own questions and points of views are being respected and heard. >> absolutely. kelly o'donnell,

. >> phil rucker, on days like this, i don't think any of us are truly satisfied on the candor and clarity. you and i have had this conversation before because you're a writer. i think this report probably suffered for lack of a writer, this report probably assumed an american attention span that no longer exists. stylistically was more 1919 than 2019, and i think this report had a huge burden as a public document. do you really think this is the last we will hear of robert mueller, or do you think his appearance in conversational english will be compelled before a committee or two? >> that's a good question, brian, about the conversational english because we've still not heard that from robert mueller. he was so careful in what he said today, to efficient with his words to hue closely to written word and report that he didn't delve into the detail and color and language that i think a lot of democrats on capitol hill are eager to hear from him. i don't think this is going to be the end of the requests from the democrats, in fact, chairman nadler said today that chairman of the house judic

she joins me now gretchen and also back on set anna palmer and phil rucker.with us. >> thank you. nice to be with you and i'm glad you're highlighting this report. >> have these bills reached your desk? when do you plan to veto them? >> last week both chambers of the michigan legislative republican controlled passed bills to outlaw a procedure known as dilation and evacuation. this is a safe, medical procedure that has saved women's lives that has protected their reproductive ability in the future and that is now under attack here in michigan. the good news is that we've got three pro-choice democratic women at the top of state office here in michigan. and we are all absolutely committed to protecting a woman's right to choose. and, so, my veto pen is ready when they send those bills to my desk. >> the expectation is that will happen soon, right? >> it could be this week or next week. they moved last week because right to life was in town and it is one special interest group that is pushing this and a distraction from all the other important things that we ne

anna palm area, co-author of the "playbook," and phil rucker, white house bureau chief for the "washingtonost." felipe, to you first, yesterday we heard the president talk legal immigration. why now you? is this the pivot i've heard team jared talk about? >> steph, they're the president is trying to take a turn here heading towards the re-election campaign to offer a proposal that could somehow appeal to more independent voters, present a softer sort of more moderate sheen on his immigration agenda. but he's meeting a lot of resistance on capitol hill, republicans are not exactly for this and there's really no democrat for it because it doesn't do anything to address the issue of the dreamers who are here. and you know, i don't know how voters are going to receive this but it's going to be hard to wash away the images of the separation of children from their parents at the border from last year. i mean, that is such a searing indelible moment for this presidency that any sort of effort here to moderate the immigration agenda may be difficult to make a lasting imprint. >> anna, let's talk a

joining the conversation, phil rucker, white house bureau chief of "the washington post," and anna palmerhe president made the argument in each case he does not want to alienate a potential ally. the ally i would think would be shinzo abe who is standing next to him, but of course he is talking about kim jong-un. looking back, how has that argument worked for him in the past? >> not terribly well, steph. shinzo abe, japanese prime minister, had a multi day celebration in tokyo this weekend, said he had an unshakeable bond with the american president, and when they were standing face to face with media together, trump contradicted the conclusion of japanese and american officials with regard to the north korean testing of ballistic missiles, and again, he took the word of a murderous dictator in north korea over the assessment of his own national security experts and the belief of his host, the japanese host. >> it wasn't just a big trip for shinzo abe, this was big for president trump. we know one area they did not agree was on north korea. shinzo abe refused to go along with the presiden

i want to bring in washington post white house bureau chief phil rucker and joyce vance.h msnbc contributors. joyce, to you first. can the attorney general or the president stop mueller if he wants to testify? >> once bob mueller becomes private citizen mueller instead of being special counsel mueller, a government employee, there's really very little that the white house can do to prevent his testimony if he chooses to do so. but even if he's free to testify, stephanie, he'll still be under the same restrictions that have sort of cautioned what we've seen about the mueller report. he won't be able to disclose grand jury, talk about national security information, and so forth. there will be a limited scope to his testimony. >> phil, i'm granting you the gift of going inside the president's head this morning. i want to read a quote from a top republican on the judiciary committee last month. he wrote to jerry nadler this. if you seek both transparency and for the american public to learn the full contours of the special counsel's investigation, public testimony from specia

phil rucker, thanks so much for being here. we're sorry again about the lights. stay with us. you have heard this week calls to break up facebook, even from one of the company's founders. now it is turning into a wedge for 2020 candidates in what has been a pretty tame election cycle just got a little more heated. >>> plus, her identity as a covert cia agent was leaked during the bush administration to settle a political score against her husband. now valerie plame is running for congress. she joins me live ahead on "kasie dc." shaving has been difficult for me. i have very sensitive skin, and i get ingrowing hairs. so it's a daunting task. oh i love it. it's a great razor. it has that 'fence' in the middle. it gives a nice smooth shave. just stopping that irritation... that burn that i get is really life changing. i'm begging you... take gas-x.ed beneath the duvet your tossing and turning isn't restlessness, it's gas! gas-x relieves pressure, bloating and discomfort... fast! so we can all sleep easier tonight. at a comfort inn with a glow taround them, so people

house bureau chief phillip rucker, politico correspondent anita kumar, and former republican congressman ryan costello. thank you all for being here. great to have you all on set. phil, what -- how does the president sort of justify kind of what happened and does he really think that he comes out on top of this back and forth with democrats? >> well, he felt good about the theatrics of the moment yesterday and thought that he won that news cycle of the blast of 30 minutes, whatever it was. but over the long haul, this is perhaps not a sustainable position for him. he is effectively saying i refuse to govern and work with the congress until these investigations stop. but these investigations, if you talk to democrats on capitol hill, they will tell that you they are doing their rightful duty of oversight to look into these matters and that they are following what the voters want them to do. so they are at a stalemate here clearly and unclear wlahat the president's next step might be. >> so if the president thought he won the news cycle, so did the congressional leaders. i asked nancy pelosi and chuck schumer the same question and pelosi spoke to reporters. take a loo