on this conference call, todd christie made a direct appeal for last-minute cash to pay for governor ristie's upcoming inauguration festivities, including a day-long party ending on ellis island. that choice of venue was supposed to make chris christie's inauguration for his second term into a big, high-profile, all-american affair, not incidentally highlighting what governor christie wants to be his own bipartisan appeal on the issue of immigration. hence, ellis island. but with just days to go before that big party, governor christie's allies found themselves short on cash for the party. the governor's brother, todd, convened that conference call with some of the governor's most loyal, big-money donors. and then according to "the new york times," quote, the governor himself got on the line, trying to convince his listeners that he was moving beyond the george washington bridge scandal and getting back to work. last thursday night, governor chris christie trying to reassure his most loyal donors that the bridge scandal was totally behind him, and they should pony up big bucks for his

it looked like christie's brother may have benefited from the same deal, todd christie loaded up on real estate near that station on the path rail line before that huge deal was approved. todd and his business partners then sold those homes for triple what they originally paid. todd and his partners denied any improper dealings saying "having done business in harrison most of our lives we have been well aware of plans not only to improve the station but to grow and redevelop many areas of our hometown." but it doesn't end there. we've also told you about hoboken mayor's dawn zimmer's claims that is christie used sandy funds as leverage to win support for a real estate development deal in hoboken. now it looks like christie gave millions of that money to a mayor that didn't deserve it. the new york star ledger is reporting christie personally helped secure $6 million in hurricane sandy money to finance a development deal some say had very little to do with sandy recovery. and more to do with securing an endorsement for his re-election from the town's democratic mayor. well, christie offic

runs for president, we know pretty much rand paul will, as you heard scott walker with chuck todd, chris christiexecutive leaders, who are governors against the more sort of substance guys from the senate. that could be quite divisive. how does that play against a unified democratic front? >> you could also have governor christie. the primary process is a healthy process. i think at the end you'll have a very strong candidate, and this time around, we're going to have a number of candidates, you just mentioned some, that will be very, very strong. i think this idea of the inevitable candidate is very risky for the democrats, because she wants the inevitable candidate in 2004, and at the end -- or 2008. >>. ya he. >> and at the end, we had brm barack obama outflanking her on the left. and that's what groups for hillary clinton have they need to -- >> and, dan, there is some talk, brian schweitzer this morning on "morning joe" gave indications that -- let's take a listen to what he said. >> do you think you'd be a good president? >> i think so. let me tell you why. because as governor, i spent eigh

christie. lost the governor's race last november and chuck todd reported christie declined the cuccinelli's camphat race. still, cuccinelli's remarks made waves and observers wondered who would be the next republican to call for christie to step aside as the chairman of the rg jachlt and clamoring to step up, party leaders did their best to stop the attacks. rnc priebus didn't know of a better governor to read the rga. thursday the rga announced christie will continue to travel around the country to raise money for governor's in close races around the country. hitting many states in the coming months, will those candidates want christie by their side? fund-raising trip to florida last week christie made zero public appearances. wouldn't even tell the media where the events were held and no photos from that trip. no grip and grins of christie and the florida governor rick scott together. these were the closest the media could get to finding chris christie. the big, dark suvs there. the question of what christie's own constituents will tolerate as well. new jersey residents, will they want him whi

course, while he was a governor and he was a national figure, but not in the way that christie has become. >> chuck toddactly how deep this fishing expedition can go. >> he does. i think that that is, you know, that has always been why some are surprised he didn't question bridget kelly himself and try to get to the bottom of this and maybe that had to do with some legal protection in his own right. look. the thing that he has got to be concerned about and we know what is he up to because he is a u.s. attorney he knows what he is up to. they are looking for a weak link and looking for somebody to break. now, it is -- we have already heard from wildstein saying give me immunity and wait until the story i got to tell you and that can't be comforting to some folks in the christie world or to the governor himself. but we know that the more you spread this out, the more, if you're chris christie, even if you don't think you did anything wrong, you're worried that somebody may crack under the stress of this. >> it's going to take a long time. >> legal scrutiny can be a terrific problematic undertow for politi

christie? our brian todd has been looking at this part of the story for us. what will it be? e real chris christie is the opportunistic one. today, he needed to be the contrite, betrayed leader. but many believe christie's pattern of behavior gives the clearest picture. this isn't the chris christie many of us expected to see. humbled, apologetic. >> i am not a bully. >> and yet it's the jersey tough-guy style which launched him to stardom. >> are you stupid? on topic. on topic. next question. good. thank you. thank you. thank you all very much and i'm sorry for the idiot over there. this is none of your business. >> i'll ask you where you send your kids to school. don't bother asking where i send mine. >> and let me tell you this. you know what, it's people who raise their voices and yell and scream like you that are dividing this country. we're here to bring this country together, not to divide it. >> reporter: according to the book "double down" about the 2012 campaign, christie say ram knee wasn't pleased. it was like something out of the "sopranos." >> we're running a bus

christie is fighting for his political life. never mind 2016, his governorship could be at stake. and now a new poll as troubling news for the governor. chuck todd is going to be down here along with mark halperin. much more on the investigations in new jersey coming up in this program. how far will all of this go as christie told big republican money men this weekend even he doesn't know when his troubles will end. that is probably the truest statement he has made. >>> plus, president obama says marijuana isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, or you could say it's as bad as alcohol. with more states moving to legalize it, we'll talk to two members of the kennedy family who know all about addiction. >>> and let me start with this, how this story out of hoboken promises to ignite a far wider investigation into the current politics of new jersey. and that is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> with just 18 days to go now until the winter olympics in sochi, russian police say they're on the lookout for as many as four black widows. they're female suspects that may be sent to the games to carry out terrorist attacks. police say one of the suspe

christie. his favorable showed most people nationally don't know a whole lot about it. as chuck todd pointed out this morning, that represents a danger to christie's 2016 prospects. >> chris christie is still being interest dugsed roduced to the this is a first or second i am preg pregs, this is more damaging to him than we appreciate. >> democrat strategist and hogan, let me start with you. do you agree with chuck todd, that assessment there? >> absolutely. i think a lot of people don't know who this guy is yet, even in republican circles. i have long said the very thing that could catapult in guy to the nomination is the very thing to sink his campaign, it's his personality. and as you know, craig, from living in south carolina, camden new jersey is not camden south carolina. to run that gauntlet early on he'll have to temper his comments. he's calling out the democrats and president and the media, we all rally to him and love it. but every once in a while, all too often, i would say, he focuses on republicans. when you're calling out rand paul by name already and megan mccain by n

todd. mark halperin who wrote about the '28 campaign and "double down" and christie. democratic mayor of baltimore, stephanie rollins-blake, secretary of the democratic national committee, as well. and kim strassle from "the wall street journal." so here's the latest on what we know. this sunday morning about the bridge scandal. there's been no smoking gun found yet. no e-mails or correspondence that link governor christie directly to the scandal. the documents show knowledge of the closures by closest aides. the motive is a bit unclear. investigations continue at the federal and the state levels. let me bring you everybody. chuck todd, the questions still on sunday morning, how much did chris christie know? >> why didn't he know more? right? there isn't a good answer for him either way because the defense right now is i'm a hands off manager. i did a lot of delegation. well, then that raises the question of culture and then actually becomes the bigger impact on him as a potential presidential leader. you're testing him as a presidential candidate. so far, you read th

. >> in new hampshire. 25% rand paul and 18% chris christie and 13% steve mcmann and alex, their poll they put out there. chuck todd in, this republican party is wide open. >> it is. the thing to do there is add up romney, christie, and jeb together, by the way, in that poll and i know it's an auto poll, but, you know, let's add it together, you notice you get over 50%. that is the new hampshire more moderate independent leaning state that looks for more centrist republicans or more moderate or mainstream conservative, whatever you want to call the nontea party republican party these days. and so if you take mitt out that is the more interesting thing there. but look. i'm -- i think jeb looks at this and thinks this is his last chance, by the way. and -- >> it is his last chance. >> if you've got the last name of bush, isn't it better to run in a year when somebody with the last name clinton is running? you get to neutralize that issue and i think you lessen it in a way. the problem jeb has to worry about is does it become a more divisive primary with him in it? not that he would make it divisive but you'd have all

todd, reporting. regardless of the possible motives, christie's image certainly taking a bit of a beating right now.may be taking a new look at the governor, reevaluating their opinion of him. joining us now is democratic congressman, rush holt from new jersey's 12th district. that includes princeton, the capital area around trenton. congressman, thanks very much for coming in. >> good to be with you, wolf. >> do you have a theory of why those lanes were closed in the first place? >> you know, whatever the theory, and you heard several of them. there are actually a couple others floating around. whatever was the motivation behind this, it's pretty clear, it's an abuse of power. in other words, it was the use of political power, not for the public good. you know, the reason citizens give elected officials power is so that they can act on behalf of the citizens to improve the public good. this clearly was petty partisanship of one sort or another, or perhaps, as you say following the money, something corrupt. but whatever it was, it was not acting in the public interest. and what we have to really gua

chuck todd, the questions still on sunday morning. >> right. >> how much did chris christie know? >> well, or why didn't he know more? right? there is sort of like -- there really isn't a good answer for him either way because his defense right now is i'm a hands-off manager. i did a lot of delegation. well, then that raises the question of the culture. that actually becomes the bigger impact on him as a potential presidential leader, as you're testing him as a presidential candidate. >> right. >> so far you read all these e-mails. there clearly is not a direct connection to the governor. so in the near term this is a survivalable, quote, unquote, scandal as far as his governance of the state of new jersey is concerned. but everything that this raises, it does make you question what his -- whether he has the judgment, whether he's got the culture that he can bring in, leadership ability to be president of the united states. >> let's remind everybody, key e-mail, lot of players, lot of e-mails, this is the key one and it comes from his deputy chief of staff, governor christie's dep

switching gears, i wanted to touch base as we go into this busy weekend about chris christie and the trip to florida and chuck todd, fund raising, trying to reassure the base and sort of find out just how much damage has been done as subpoenas are flying. >> this is -- there are so many things he's going to learn on this trip. he's going to have meet and greet with donors, home depot ken langone and meet and greet and find out a firsthand look how does he respond to the questions they have. he's going to get a test a little bit there. what will be interesting is going to be a lot of other republican governors are going to be watching christie with scott and christie in texas and see is this going to be a distraction? christie has two or three weeks to prove, the first trips he does as republican governor chair and all of this stuff after bridge is going to be a distraction. is it an ongoing distraction where there's suddenly quiet pressure, why don't you take a leave of absence, we don't need to bring that problem and export it to states we're trying to hold governships. >> he's going to illinois next. we've got t

they let a woman alone respond to the president since christy todd whitman did it during bill clinton times. since then, they let susan collins do it, but she had a guy with her. it is an accomplishment for them to have done that. is it also strategic to have moved on those anti-reproductive rights on the day of the state of the union? >> it is an appeal to the republican base. what i would say on contraception issues for in the witek government party, there are vast sections of the republican party, including republican women who don't believe that the federal government should have a say in their contraception issues. >> because they don't want insurance regulation that says you have to cover anything? they are not saying, we don't want blood pressure medication, to be mandated, to be covered, if you work -- >> they don't want to hear politicians talk about limiting access in any way to contraception. they view that at the province of a party that is supposed to be limited government party. this issue is not a winning issue for the republican party. this was a disaster issue in the

>> until a couple of days ago, chris christie led the lead for 2016 presidential run. brian todd has been looking at this part of the story. brian, what's going on? >> wolf, for several reasons, the party's conservative base has squared off over chris christie for the last few years. now when he could use broad gop support, he doesn't seem to have it. facing his biggest crisis, chris christie may not want to look towards fellow conservatives for a political lifeline because it appears some would rather see him drown. look at glenn beck on his talk show. >> conservatives need to run from chris christie. run from chris christie. this, again, is the quintessential example of why i'm against him. >> reporter: or rush limbaugh on his radio show. >> the point of the story is that he will, christie, it's payback. if you don't give him what he wants, he will pay you back. >> there are a lot of conservatives who have never liked chris christie. for them, this is sort of vindication. >> reporter: vindication, they say, for the antagonism on issues that they hold dear. for example, he's bee

beyond lane closures on the george washington bridge, can christie's political future survive this expanding investigation. charlie cook and chuck todd are weighing in. >>> sochi surprise as olympic torch arrived in the city of volgograd. a chilling video and warning of a new threat at the olympics next month. we'll have the latest from richard engel in moscow. >> russian security forces are searching for one woman in particular who's gone missing whom they worry could be involved in an attack on the games. >> no nukes and what officials are calling a major breakthrough, iran today lived up to its pledge halting the enrichment of high grade uran m uranium. we'll have a live report where the moves had an immediate impact with sanction relief. >>> the dream lives on. on this dr. dr. martin luther king day, 50 years after his i have a dream speech, i'll talk to congressman john lewis and alma powell on the new fight on voting rights and education. >> our opponents know, they know the single most dangerous thing to give us is the right to vote. they know what that is. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. 17 days before the ope

our brian todd has been looking into what is going on, chris christie's speech, the latest on the scandaly still mysteries. have to do with theories being talked about as to why lanes on the gw bridge were closed down. the scenarios are out there because there are so many unanswered questions about who is targeted and why. we still don't know the real reason why had lanes were closed on the gw bridge but governor chris christie is trying to move beyond the scandal. >> without a doubt we will cooperate with inquiries to ensure that this breach of trust does not happen again. >> reporter: as two investigations ramp up three theories emerged. the most prominent was that it was political retribution for not endorsing christie in the reelection bid. the problem -- >> i don't recall a specific request to endorse. >> reporter: another involves this woman. fort lee is in her district. they had been in a bitter political fight with christie over their blocking of his state supreme court nominees. on august 12 christie pulled one nominee to spare her the ordeal of being challenged. >> i was not goi

beyond lane closures on the george washington bridge, can christie's political future survive this expanding investigation. charlie cook and chuck toddre

ron, stay with us. >>> coming up next, chuck todd is here to break down the numbers about chris christiee bacon and cheese diet? this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups. became big business overnight? ♪ like, really big... then expanded? ♪ or their new product tanked? ♪ or not? what if they embrace new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim. from td ameritrade. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom. >>> 7:30 on the east coast. the white house there. >>> the justice department has new rules on profiling and it's putting new restrictions on federal agents even in terror cases. joining us from washington is nbc news justice co

. >> chuck todd, let's talk about bill stepien, how big a role did he play in chris christie's political life? >> i mean, he was one of the main chief advisers. it's the equivalent of if the president to put it back in the first had to fire david axelrod or david plouffe, it's that sort of person who has been in charge of chris christie's political world. there's a reason why he was going to be simultaneously chairman of the new jersey republican party and chris christie's among his eyes and ears at the republican governor's association. to be in both places tells you everything you need to know. he was in charge in many ways. you have a few others also very important in the christie political operation, who apparently -- not a part of this it appears. but this is a -- this is a major shake-up in his political world. he's got his deputy chief of staff who some people describe as enforcer but the person who ran the state day to day. when i say that, meaning, made sure trainses were running on time then chief political person. it's a big shake-up in the christy worcris christie world. >> k

todd. good to see you. tough really to overstate the importance, the political implications for chris christie in this newst say this is typical local politics, but when you look at the image that chris christie has so carefully crafted, that he's bipartisan, he always puts people ahead of politics, that the left/right stuff doesn't get in the way of getting the job done. think about the whole sandy relief, when he was willing to go after republicans, yet what did he do? somebody in his administration certainly put politics ahead of the people of fort lee. i think this sort of cuts at all the supposed strengths he would bring. you know what, chris, the problem he's got, even if he didn't know, if he's telling us the truth he didn't know, then he's got an office run amok. that's not the sense of a good manager. so there are no positive things coming out of this story for him. the question is how does he handle it from here? john mccain in my hour said his advice is stay up there three hours if you have to, but don't leave any question unanswered. >> i thought mccain was great on "the daily rundown." the pol

christie and the gift to journalists. >> a poll is coming out tonight. chuck todd will have that.ls since this all happened. he's at 55%. that's down almost 20 points from his highs. >> down from his post-sandy but most politicians in america would love to have a 55% approval rating. that's pretty good for a governor. remember a republican governor in a democratic leaning state. not where he was but does not indicate it undermine his position so far. we need to see what happens with these investigations that continue. >> susan page, thank you so much for today. great having you here. that does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." and tomorrow on the show, new hampshire senator jeanne shaneen. >>> a lot going on in the next hour. president obama on his way back to washington for a strategy session with senate democrats. just one day after talks to restore jobless benefits broke down, we'll have the latest. meantime, north carolina senator kay hagan skipped the president's speech in her hometown today highlighting perhaps the challenges some vulnerable democrats

todd, thank you all. >> sure. >>> we have some breaking news. we have just received a statement from chris christieallegations today and road closures. here is the statement, quote, what i've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. i'm outraged and deeply saddened to learn not only was i misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. this type of behavior is unacceptable. he says i will not tolerate because the people of new jersey deserve better. this is not representative of me or my administration in any way and people will be held responsible for their actions. again, that's a new statement out just now. we will be right back with more. [ dennis ] it's always the same dilemma -- who gets the allstate safe driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really loves his new camera. problem is..

todd. there he is. >>> state of the state for the governor. the last week of chris christie's first term puts him in the statehouse spotlight. trenton hits the national stage again. can he put performance over the scandal? also this morning the latest on what egyptians are deciding today in a national referendum. and deep dive into the prospects for a middle east peace deal as vice president biden tries to nudge the talks back on track. >>> after four decades in congress, congressman george miller from california says it's enough. find out what one of the last watergate babies has to say about where things are headed on capitol hill in the 21st century. good morning from washington. it's tuesday, january 13 -- january 14th, 2014. when they're in the spotlight, there are pros and cons. my first reads of the morning begin in trenton. when governor christie delivered his state of the state address last year, they were recovering from superstorm sandy, his approval rating at an all-time high. >> the people of new jersey have come together as never before, across party lines, acros

todd. lawrence, we will get you to chime in on the chris christie situation and talk as well.hit list? i want to get your take a on that. willie, take us through the golden globes. >> he is mr. golden globes. >>> on the film side of thing last night, "american hustle" was the big winner and won for comedy and stars took home the best actress and best supporting actor. dramatic side, matthew mcconaughey, they didn't know where to put it put but put it in musical and comedy. cate blanchett won two "blue jasmine." the final award of the award di 12 years a slave." tv side "breaking bad" won best drama and its star bryan cranston won for a best actor in a drama. as for comedies, did not see this coming. "brooklyn 99," won best tv comedy. andy sandberg won best actor in a comedy and looked stunned when he got on the stage and didn't know what to say. >> he wasn't the only one. >> where do you watch that? i've never heard of it. >> it's brand-new. >> it's actually pretty funny. it is pretty funny. it's on my dvr list this year. it's pretty good. >> really? >> i subscribe to it on --

christie now trailing hillary clinton. they were virtually tied in december. now she's up by 13 points. we heard chuck todd say this in the opening, purely from a numbers per spect tiff, he doesn't look like a winner so many anymore. how significant is this, molly? >> not that significant, just because it's so long before any hypothetical election day with hypothetical candidates, but it does mean something, right? i'm of the opinion that every poll means something, it just isn't necessarily about telling you about who will win. it's about voter shifting perceptions in the very early stage, when they're entertaining the notions. >> if that's the case, is this concern that perception becomes reality for him? that people didn't know him very well sort of be the impression, even if vague, that something is not quite right there? >> yeah, absolutely. i think all the impression are sort of cumulative. as nia ma wilika was saying -- that's i think we know how it stick toss him. >> nobody is buzzier still, and we know her biggest liability might be benghazi. yesterday we saw this scathing bipartisan reports sayin

todd with "the daily rundown." >>> indicted. just days after leaving office, former virginia governor bob mcdonnell faces criminal charges over gifts from a supporter and chris christie tries to survive his own scandal. the once promising faces of the gop's future are now facing their own uncertain future. >>> is peace possible in syria? assad is at the center of talks under way in geneva where secretary kerry is making it clear that assad has to go, but does assad think that? >>> plus, a national debate over changing voter i.d. laws spotlights pennsylvania today, where a judge has blocked the controversial 2012 law. will president obama push for more federal action? got a busy show for you. at lof campaign updates. interesting little abortion politics takeaway, that i want you guys to think about. >>> it's a snowy washington. wednesday, january 22nd, the "the daily rundown," and we'll start with how the weather is crippling the northeast. the snow that walloped us, still falling along the coast in some spots but it's moved out of the i-95 corridor. this is a live look at massachusetts where they're truly getting dumped on. and now, there's brutally cold temperatures

christie. ♪ ♪ [applause] >> good morning. i am the cochairman of the inauguration, along with my partner, todd kristi.ant to thank you for braving the elements to join us this morning. myi was driving down here, job this morning is to introduce our master of ceremonies, as you can see by your program. i appreciate you breathing the elements to join us this morning. i was driving down here, the master of ceremonies and i were, telephoning and texting back and forth among making sure one of us will be here. i want the record to show i beat him. when chris christie and i were practicing law for many moons ago in cranford, new jersey. was a lawney, there -- a young lawyer at the end of the hall who was always there before we got there and always there when we left. it is a great lesson to you young warriors out there. the lawyer at the end of the hall went on to be an assistant u.s. attorney, general counsel to the governor to my attorney general of the state of new jersey, and is now the former united states senator for the state of new jersey. it is my honor to introduce our master of ceremonies today,

christie smith, "today in the bay." >> thank you. >> 5:04. sentencing is scheduled this morning for the martial arts teach here molested a student. investigators in redwood city arrested they 1-year-old ralph todd in december 2012. a court ruled that he molested a 9-year-old boy in one of his classes. he worked as an instructor in woodside plaza for 12 years. he will begin his nearly four year sentence immediately. >> also in court t 21-year-old accused of killing a man and stealing his play station 4 t suspect pleaded not guilty murder and attempted robbery charges. investigators say collins made arrangements to meet up with ikena to buy his play station 4. when the two met police say collins shot him and sole the console. >> a follow-up now. city college of san francisco has won a legal battle to keep its accreditation at least for now. a trial must determine whether the accreditation commission acted lawfully in its oval wags of the college. the commission wants to revoke the accreditation because it says the school has not done enough to fix the national and educational problems. the consequences of the closing would be catastrophic. >> meteorologist christina loren joins us now from the nb

christie this time next year? >> hillary clinton will have a new republican front runner. the beginning of last year the hot name was a guy named marco rubio. >> i remember that. chuck todd, happy new year. thanks. >> thank. thanks. matt to you. >>> let's wrap up our look ahead with one of the biggest events coming up in 2014. coming up in 36 days, the winter olympic games in sochi russia. we'll be there and so will jimmy roberts covering his 15th olympics. >> that makes me sound so old. >> since the ancient olympics. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> just overall thoughts of the olympics, going to sochi, what does it mean? >> first and foremost, it's only the second time in the history of the modern olympic games that the olympics are going to be in the largest country on earth. and remember, the only time previously they had been there was back in 1980 when just about 40% of olympic nations weren't competing. so this is really a landmark event. >> 12 new events coming up in these olympic games and the early word is that the new events may help the u.s. >> why? >> i think so because they're events that traditionally and historically the united states has done well

todd. there he is. >>> state of the state for the governor. the last week of chris christie's

remnick and host of the daily rundown, chuck todd and host of msnbc "politics nation," the reverend al sharpton. we will get to the latest with chris christiee "today" show. so when i say zip t i actually mean it. >> you mean it this time? >> can you take me seriously? >> we can. david remnick, a great article on president obama. >> thank you. >> i was talking to you about the self-warawareness. i thought he showed that which you say that is not a character or trait we wpt in our presidents but a place in history. talk about how he describes himself in history right now? >> he has had a terrible year i think everybody would agree. william daley told my chief of staff after 2014, no one cares what obama does which is maybe and this exaggeration and you still have the power of the presidency. but it's crucial because all of the air gets sucked out of the room once those mid terms come around and the next presidential election starts. i think this is a guy who is starting to see that he's not going to get major legislation on so many things that he would want to for all of the reasons that we know and that the ways to affect the argument and t

todd with "the daily rundown." >>> indicted. just days after leaving office, former virginia governor bob mcdonnell faces criminal charges over gifts from a supporter and chris christie

as for christie's aide and the transportation official, neither has commented since the story broke. matt? >> stephanie gosk, stephanie, thank you very much. >>> i want to bring in chuck todd, nbc's political director and of course our chief white house correspondent as well. chuck, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> in the last 24 hours, we have learned the answer to one very big question in this situation. yes, those lane closures resulting in that massive traffic jam were some form of political retribution. the e-mails prove that. the other big question, did chris christie know about it, and did he order it? how will the answer to that question impact his political future? >> well, i think, look, if he didn't know about it, it's a survivable scandal. if he knew about it and was part of the decision-making process, then this is unrecoverable. he will no longer be taken as a serious presidential candidate. so that is the bottom line when it comes to this story. he's got this press conference he's going to be holding later in a couple of hours. he needs to sit there and answer every question. i just spoke with john mccain, and i asked him for his advice to chri