>> it wasn't with valerie jarrett herself, it was with an aide.any had hired six different lobbying firms in the period since the beginning of the obama administration. it was heavily working washington. and that may have been part of the reason that they continued to get funds even as there were signs that they were in a serious decline and they were able to get their loan restructured and that the private sector got, you know, the first line of defense against potential bankruptcy. so there are some signs that perhaps their lobbying had an effect. >> so one of the questions people are trying to connect the dots, did fund-raising, political influence, political friendship, help here. george kaiser is the billionaire fund-raiser for obama 2008, backs the foundation of the top investor here. is it just this happened, that happened or can anyone connect the dots? >> so far, it's a great question for the republicans to ask, because it looks, it makes it look like this was some political conspiracy, but there's no evidence at all so far that i've seen

we heard that just moments ago from valerie jarrett as well. the president reportedly reported the counterterrorism communities to redouble its effort in response to this new intelligence. shortly after the president addressed congress tonight, republican congress peter king of new york, chairman of the house homeland security department committee spo about this threat to luke russert. watch. >> what i can tell you, it is very specific. it's credible but it's not confirmed. but you combine the specifics and also the fact it's credible with this being the weekend of 9/11, it's being taken very seriously. i have faith that federal law enforcement, all of our agencies, federal, state, and local are appropriate and doing everything that has to be done. absolutely no need for any panic. and but, again, with abundance of caution and also knowing that al qaeda in the past does look for anniversaries, looking for land marks, it is being taken very seriously but, again, certainly no need for any type of panic. >> again, as congressman king noted this th

we heard that just moments ago from valerie jarrett as well.dent reportedly reported the counterterrorism communities to redouble its effort in response to this new intelligence. shortly after the president addressed congress tonight, republican congress peter king of new york, chairman of the house homeland security department committee spo about this threat to luke russert. watch. >> what i can tell you, it is very specific. it's credible but it's not confirmed. but you combine the specifics and also the fact it's credible with this being the weekend of 9/11, it's being taken very seriously. i have faith that federal law enforcement, all of our agencies, federal, state, and local are appropriate and doing everything that has to be done. absolutely no need for any panic. and but, again, with abundance of caution and also knowing that al qaeda in the past does look for anniversaries, looking for land marks, it is being taken very seriously but, again, certainly no need for any type of panic. >> again, as congressman king noted this threat remai

last night, valerie jarrett stressed importance of working for companies that value women. >> i was a single mom and it was very important to me and it was very important to being a mom was the most important thing i did. >> the staff of first lady mrs. obama is pushing for more workplace flexibility. a report by shows that companies with flexible work schedules are actually more productive. >>> republican presidential candidate michele bachmann will be in the bay area this morning. the minnesota congresswoman is holding a frequent fast talk at a private residence in san rafael. it comes one day after a stop in arizona. she was seeking the endorsement of maricopa county sheriff. she is trying to regain her footing after linking hpv vaccine to mental retardation. >> they are investigating why a flight to san francisco starred smoking at washington's dulles airport yesterday. it forced evacuation of 179 passengers including supreme court justice ruth bader ginsberg. several passengers saw smoke coming out of a than engine and notified the pilot shortly after leaving the gate. an announc

those were the reports that were coming out at the time that some of the women like valerie jarrett,not necessarily part of that inside team. >> it was much worse then, it was much worse and the president has taken steps to improve it is the way i'd say it. >> if he had a dinner he recognized there was a problem and he fixed it, but i have to say in this administration, women have achieved tremendous opportunities. they've gotten positions that earlier administrations maybe they didn't necessarily achieve. >> absolutely and i think brian todd pointed it out well, female deputy chiefs of staff appointed to the supreme court. it's also a great opportunity for us to acknowledge that there is a difference between giving women a lofty title and actual influence and not just in this white house, but in politics in general, and i cannot tell you how many dinners i have attended with women political operatives over the years from both parties who say it is so challenging for them because they are maybe one or two female voices on an entire team and it is so hard for their voices to be heard

visiting valerie jarrett and mr. paulson. there is a connection there.condition a that little bit greater? why are people not asking more questions about that? we do have choices. when people say we do not have a choice about what is going on in our country, we do. we need to look at our cabinet. we need to look at what they believe in. president obama was very clear about his taking our energy prices through growth. that should tell people, this man will go green, and it is not ready yet. guest: there are a lot of connections between kaiser and the white house. there are stories that raised that. i think the reason why, i was personally surprised to see it not come up more in a hearing last week. i think the reason for that, even by republicans, the one time it did come up was by the ranking member henry waxman when he was trying to preemptively dispute the arguments he thought republicans would say about the political discussions -- connections. i think there is more of it in the media than in congress. the reason for that is there are so many layers t

front page article reveals that solyndra lobbyists met with an obama aide, white house adviser valerie jarrettree times. these lobbying efforts cost the company nearly two million dollars. in the end that price tag may have been worth it for solyndra they were handed a taxpayer check for more than half a billion dollars. here with reaction republican congresswoman from the great state of tennessee, marsha blackburn is back. she was at this morning's hearing. democratic congressman rob andrews is here. they said they were not going to take the fifth so a lot has changed. >> correct. last week they were going to appear and answer our questions. then we found out they were going to take the fifth. what we would like to know from them is, what they knew, when they knew it, when they found out their business model was broken? did they discuss this in board meetings? why did they come to capitol hill in july and tell us that things were improving and they were on the right track production was going to double? and then six weeks later, they are filing for bankruptcy. there are so many questions on t

but for progressives like obama advisor valerie jarrett, it's not so much about economic performance. it's about what's morally right. >> we have to give people >> bill: the phrase there is we have to give people a livelihood. we have to lift them out of poverty. now, miss jarrett is an honest and sincere person, i know her. she believes what she says. president obama also believes that the federal government, quote, must make the economy work for all americans, unquote. the problem is, that is impossible. capitalism cannot deliver successful economic outcomes for everybody. enter jon stewart, who has become the face of the progressive movement and stated today by the web site media ite and that's true. mr. stewart has a vast amount of influence among liberals in the usa. last night while promoting my new book, i ventured into stewart's domain in order to try to talk some sense into ho him about the economy and the left's incessant tax the rich mantra. >> what is this whole business with the poor, poor, rich and wealthy in this country? so unfair to them. >> bill: are you ever going t

times in a period when the loan was under consideration before final approval meeting with aids valerie jarrett peter roust among others. they won't tell us what happened at those meetings. the white house denies there was any political influence. just a loan that went back because these startedups can be risky. i think there are serious questions about whether influence was involved and they were unanswered. the people before the congressional hearing today from the administration essentially were there. they said they didn't know what happened because they took office after the loan was approved. >> bill: all right. so the crony capitalism charges. we knew this with g.e. jeffrey immelt. the ceo is moving divisions to china. yet, reremains in charge of, you know, developing american jobs to the obama administration. it seems to me that in their quest and haste and enthusiasm to develop alternative energy, ie solar, that they took a big risk with $527 million, half a billion dollars of taxpayer money and they said, you know, we are going to take the risk because we really want this political pa

the number of times he said "pass this bill" a bill valerie jarrett admitted hasn't been proposed yet. that's why it's important that speaker boehner and eric cantor have taken the tone they have and it's a good step forward. >> karen? >> doug, let's remember way back when, before the president, when he was actually in the car on the way to go meet with the republican caucus on the house side to talk with them about health care legislation, boehner in the caucus meeting said we're against it, don't anybody be for it, before the guy got to him to talk about it. how you can say he's angry saying "pass this bill" i think the president was being very firm and sort of making the point that the time for the games is over. one of the things so powerful in what the president is doing, it's not just about politics but also about let's put these guys on notice. eric cantor if you're going to obstruct, then i'm going to go to your district and let your constituents know what i'm for and let you explain why you're not for that. >> doug, i call your attention to another poll ahead of tonight's tea

but they also hired high powered lobbists, spent $2 million, had many meetings with valerie jarrett, assistant to the president. they lobbied washington intensely to get this loan guarantee. why did they get the loan guarantee? they had idea that superior technology could- even though it was more expensive to produce solar panels in the united states that because their technology was superior they could produce it cheaper than people using silicone the traditional method making these solar panels. silicone plunged on the commodities market, making the other kind of solar panels. china cleaned our clock, making solar panels for half the price of this company. their business model stunk. now, why was the loan guarantees granted. were the loan guarantees granted because of undue political influence? that's one area of inquiry. the other area of inquiry when is when it became clear that the company was going belly up, how did certain private investors get paid back when the taxpayers took the stiff loss of half a billion dollars. >> bill: now we're pivoting to foreign affairs. admiral mi

you talked to valerie jarrett during the administration and said if it wasn't for the president thishostile legally defined for women, on and on. two things, anita said, geez, could we not make that in present tense where i'm talking to valerie? i'm saying it now. let's make it in past tense. because frankly, ron, i can't be saying i saw a hostile legal workplace -- one minute. let me finish. a hostile legal workplace with my husband being the general counsel to the president. she said, look, i tell you this in april of 2011. it is me looking back. i said, fine, looking back. now, what about this thing about if it wasn't for the president? i said, anita, it doesn't make sense. what do you mean by that? you know, if there was a different president, but the still hostile workplace you'd feel differently about it? that doesn't make sense. she says, all right, well i just want to say that means we all were fascinated and love the president -- let me finish. i'm almost done. we'd walk across hot coals for this guy. i said, anita, that doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the quote

the question you have to ask is, why was then anita dunn telling valerie jarrett there was a problem if there wasn't a problem? you can figure that one out. we'll be right back. from a m. while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go national. go like a pro. just like you. can a trading site help make you a sharper trader? mine can. td ameritrade can. they've got trading specialists i can call for help. and paper trading. free practice trading that helps me hone my technique. complex options. and free tutorials. online or in person. can a trading site really make a difference? if it can't, why are you trading there? number one in online equity trades: td ameritrade. trade commission-free for 30 days, plus get up to $500 when you open an account. >>> welcome back to "hardball." ahead of what could be a very dramatic vote at th

. >> "i remember one i told valerie," valerie jarrett, white house official, "if it weren't for the presidentthis place would be a court for hostile workplace." in the book you took out the six words, "if it weren't for the president" which teams to me to change the meaning of what anita dunn said. >> i said and the "washington post" has reported that that was at anita dunn's request. at the end of the process, i called back anita, as i said, i called back all the key sources. i talked to her about the quote. she was vigorous in saying, "this is the way i think this is the quote -- this quote is most appropriate as to what i believed." the issue about the president per se is one that i said, anita, i never was sure had i meant by that. if it's a hostile workplace and the president is not involved, as you and others have said, what difference would it make if he were there or not, she says, you're right, that doesn't make send. the point -- >> whether she asked you to or not, taking those six words out really changes the impact of what she is saying. why didn't you as an author give us a full

would be if it weren't for the the question you have to ask is, why was then anita dunn telling valerie jarrettthere was a problem if there wasn't a problem? you can figure that one out. we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball" ahead of what could be a very dramatic vote at the united nations over the establishment of a palestinian state, a move president obama has vowed to veto in the security council. republican front-runner rick perry today accused our president of following a policy of appeasement in the middle east. here's some of what perry had to say earlier today. >> we're equally indignant of the obama administration and their middle east policy of appeasement that has encouraged such an ominous act of bad faith. simply put, we would not be here today at this very precipice of such a dangerous move if the obama policy in the middle east wasn't naive and arrogant, misguided and dangerous. >> i think words better suited to himself. anyway, strong words from governor perry. mitt romney also criticized obama today for repeated efforts over three years to throw israel under the b

so melody barnes was there, valerie jarrett was there, secretary of hud donovan was there and others,y answering some hard questions from the internet audience about, one, you know, what is hud doing around fha and not just african-american homeowners, but how will fha look going forward and how is this bill going to affect it. those kind of questions. it was a total and complete shock when valerie -- melody barnes introduced the president to come forward. he wasn't scheduled to be there. i think one, it showed the real emphasis the president has now on making sure that he is the head messenger on this bill, that he's not allowing other surrogates to be in front of him on this. we know that he's going to be in ohio, which is also my home state, that's in a great need as it relates to jobs. he's going to be in north carolina. i don't think we've seen him really be on front of an issue like this from a message standpoint since the health care bill and i think many of his supporters are happy to see him, not just being willing to be on the front end of it but challenging the gop to step

the question you have to ask is, why was then anita dunn telling valerie jarrett there was a problem if there wasn't a problem? you can figure that one out. we'll be right back. and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes, i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] write your story with the citi thankyou premier card, with no point caps, and points that don't expire. get started at thankyoucard.citi.com. your core competency is...competency. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] as you wish, business pro. as you wish. go national. go like a pro. now through january earn a free day with every two rentals. find out more at nationalcar.com. >>> welcome back to "hardball" ahead of what could be a very dramatic vo

visited the white use at least four times before the loan's final approval to see aids including valerie jarrettnalysts who studied the industry said solyndra's business plan to build solar panels was flawed from the beginning. >> the price was over $6 a watt to produce the product. they were selling it at about $3, but when you looked at the numbers, it just didn't work. that was from the get-go. fromom the get-go, the first ti i saw it. >> reporter: last month solyndra declared bankruptcy, laying off all its employees. >> i haven't gotten the final information. looks like the severance package is pretty much zero. >> reporter: last week, fbi agents raided the solyndra offices, seeking to find whether solyndra misled the government in order t to get the loan. agents questioned the former ceo, chris gronet, who had proudly given president obama a tour of the plant last year. administration officials denied there was political influence involved in the process and that the meetings at the white house were unconnected to the loan. as to the loss of a half billion dollars, one official said such st

geithner and valerie jarrett are the only senior advisors there from the beginning. about an administration that seems not to really be on its game. and as david ploufe the senior campaign advisor said, there is not a lot of margin for error right now. >> shannon: and more than a year out from the presidential election, debbie. should the gop folks be careful about being too smug or gloating about this because we know that is a world of time in politics. >> it is a world of time in politics. on this book, i have known anita dunn forever and she has denied what is said in that book is what happened as have a number of people. i think when we talk about anger it is not just democrats. everybody is angry. people are scared out there. they don't know what their future will be or if their retirement will be there. people can't get a job. i was in the grocery store last sunday at home and three people came up to me, telling me one had been an unemployed engineer and hadn't been able to find a job for three years. one was a mother. they need help. none of us can give them t

most competent people on the planet, including a lot of women, including one of his top advisers valerie jarrette times when heads butted together, sure. they want people to have strong opinions on the ideas they have. >> do you think that ron suskind is lying? >> i don't think that he is lying. i know he got a lot of facts wrong but i also know i was there and women played key roles and continue to. >> you think it was an innocent mistake and didn't have the entire quote? >> i think this does not reflect the president's commitment to having the best people on earth working in his administration. if you look at his administration. if you look at his record it is important to the president t that he get this right, that he have a lot of women who are surrounding him on the most important issues. >> bill, let me run something else by you. in the chicago tribune, it called for president obama to step aside saying the economy made him unelectable. here's the quote. obama might do his party a big favor. in hard times, he could slak this thirst by stepping aside and taking the blame and then someone l

the washington post" actually says this, it says, i remember once i told valerie, referring to valerie jarrettt, i said if it weren't for the president, this place would be in court for a hostile workplace because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuine hostile workplace to women. that phrase, that clause, if it weren't for the president you left out of the book, why did you do that? >> wolf, you're behind the times. get your research staff to read "the washington post." the answer's up, as it's been up on the online blogs. what happened here, i'll explain it quickly i don't want to spend too much time, it's a settled issue, is that after i told anita about that quote, she said, look parts will get me sort of in a pickle. one is my husband is a chief counsel, counsel to the president i can't be talking in present tense back then about a legal issue in terms of women. i want to say, looking back, this is the first thing she said. i said all right. and i said what did you mean about, you know if not for the president, it doesn't make much sense as though if it was a d

department of energy, and, of course, omb and their contacts with vice president biden's office, and, valerie jarretts, and we're going to find out if there was any sweet heart deal, for solyndra because the gentleman, kaiser, already invested a billion dollars in the start-up company and bundled money for president obama during the 2008 elections, so, you know, it doesn't really pass the smell test, if they can give us information, that satisfies not just the committee members, but the taxpayer, that everything was done properly, then, so be it. but, i would say that these e-mails that we have got already, would suggest that there is no way that can pass the smell test. >> eric: does the committee intend to call mr. kaiser? who had 16 contacts with the white house? >> absolutely. >> eric: i'm sorry. go ahead. >> absolutely. absolutely. we will do that. and we are going to follow this until we finally get the answers, this is $500 billion of taxpayer money, it is gone. it is absolutely gone. and, i highlighted a number of these e-mails but in this clip i know we don't have time to go over it, but, th

>> if you want to know more about what the white house is doing for women, look at valerie jarrett andlves on our set. >> that's what i was just going to say, kids, if you want to run for office, rule number one, when you're in a debate, brit hume will tell you, don't vomit on yourself. willie, if it's way too early, what time is it? >> time for "the daily rundown" and chuck todd. >>> that is one to grow on. rick

he is been to the white house 16 times the visiting valerie jarrett. he bundle of money for solyndra and for obama. why are people not asking more questions about that? also, we do hedge races. when people say we do not have a choice about what is going on, we do. we go to the polls every four years. we need to look at our candidates and the things they believe in. president obama was very clear about taking energy prices through the roof. guest: you need a good point. there are a lot of connections between george kaiser and the white house, and there are stories about that. personally, i was surprised to not see it come up more. the want and it did come up was by ranking member henry waxman, when he was trying to preemptively dispute the arguments he thought republicans would say about the political connections. it is being made more in the media than congress, and the reason for that is because there are so many layers to this story. the initial bankruptcy. obama calling solyndra the true engine of economic growth. touting all the jobs. there are so

valerie jarrett is saying essentially my book is correct.u something important. the reason the white house pushed me to anita dunn is they felt, i think, which is not inaccurate, that this was a way the president developed as a manager. he had a gender crisis in the workplace and stepped up. they said talk to anita dunn who will give voice to this. this is the president growing into office. part of that point is made in the book. the book is about the evolution of barack obama across four years. >> dunn said it was a hostile workplace and if they were in the private sector, there would be lawsuits. >> her husband is general counsel, we got a little delicate as to what she should be thinking as to a legal issue with her husband seeing her every move. >> do you think the white house is a hostile workplace for women? >> i say in the book i don't think it is now. i think everyone agrees in that very difficult period in '09 to '10, it was. the key to what occurs here, people step up and say this is untenable. who can take charge? obama sits with

that's kristina romer as well as i imagine valerie jarrett who were trying to get a word or two in andd axelrod were whisked away prematurely before anyone thought because president obama wanted to clean house after the midterms. >> yeah and look at how much better things are now. >> yeah. smooth as glass! >> here's a memo that eric is going to read from pete rous. >> i'll read the memo and i want to ask you something about what you brought up. here's the memo from him. it says "there's a deep dissatisfaction within the economic team with what is perceived as larry's imperilous and heavy handed direction of the economic process." here's what i'm getting at here, chris. all morning long, we've been talking about the head of the energy department, secretary of the energy failing on all these different loans it made to various energy companies. we talk about tim geithner in the past saying don't worry, america will never, will never lose a triple a credit rating. tim geithner saying don't worry about greece, it will never default. is it in house fighting in the white house or is it just c

and she said it made a strong case that part in terms of what she said to valerie jarrett, well, is theree can work that out. so we went through what the quote would be in the book prior to publication so all this was worked out. anita is in a pickle right now. she's an advisor to the president. she's going to be working on the campaign. you know, but -- >> we got that. >> the quote is clear. >> we have a little time left. karl rove didn't like your first three books. here's what he said about -- >> no doubt. >> here's what he said about this one. >> i'm not certain how much of this book is true and accurate. my personal experience with him is he tends to exaggerate. i had an interview once in the west wing with him where literally he was transcribing my comments and sort of repeating them back and he couldn't get what i had just said accurate. >> how do you respond? >> no, that's wrong. karl and i had, you know, conversations during the bush era, they were all fairly and accurately rendered in those books. i look at karl and i understand why karl has some issues with the books that i pub

an aide to a top white house official valerie jarrett was met with three times to push for laws. would you be willing to provide to this committee communications between yourselves or your senior executives with members of the west wing of the white house specifically ms. gerrit, carol browner and rahm emanuel or their staffs? >> on the vice of my counsel i invoke the privilege afforded to me by the fifth amendment of the united states constitution and i respectfully decline to answer any questions. >> mr. stover same question. >> on the vice of my counsel i invoke and respectfully decline to answer any questions. >> the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for one minute. >> the thank you mr. chairman into both mr. harrison and mr. stover what we would like to know is who was the first in your company to realize that you were not going to be profitable and when it became aware was this discussed at a board meeting, and were doe staff members present? were white house employees or administration appointees present for such board meetings, and

-- valerie jarrett. >> on the advise of counsel, i involke my fifth amendment rights and respectfully decline to answer questions. >> mr. stover, same question. >> on the advise of counsel, i involke my fifth amendment rights and respectfully decline to answer questions. >> the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. chairman. what we would like to know is, who was the first in your company to realize that you were not going to be profitable. when he became aware, was this discussed at a board meeting? were doe staff members present? were white house employees or administration appointees present for such board meetings? prior to your bankruptcy filing and your awareness of your financial situation, did you issue bonuses to your senior management, your leadership team, or your board? was this discussed as an agenda item at a board meeting? >> on the advise of counsel, i involke my fifth amendment rights and respectfully decline to answer questions. >> mr. stover. >> on the advise of counsel, i involke my fifth amendme