>>> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO REALIZE
AND UNDERSTAND IS NO ONE IS
ABOVE THE LAW.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OR NOT.
THIS FOR ME HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH POLITICS.
WITH POLITICS. PEOPLE SAID, WELL, YOU DIDN’T
WANT TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU WOULD
JEOPARDIZE SOME OF YOUR -- IT
HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS,
ONLY ABOUT PATRIOTISM.
>> THAT WAS SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
LAST NIGHT HOURS AFTER THE HOUSE
VOTED TO FORMALIZE THE
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. MANY BACK IN THEIR DISTRICTS
WHERE THEY’LL MAKE THE CASE FOR
IMPEACHMENT AT HOME.
A "THE WASHINGTON POST" ABC NEWS
POLL JUST OUT THIS WEEK BEFORE
THE HOUSE VOTE SHOWED 49% OF
AMERICANS SAY PRESIDENT TRUMP
SHOULD BE IMPEACHED AND REMOVED
FROM OFFICE.
FROM OFFICE. 47% SAY HE SHOULD NOT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS FLOATING A
NEW IDEA, BY THE WAY, OF HOW
HE’D LIKE TO MAKE HIS CASE TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
HE TOLD THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER,
QUOTE, AT SOME POINT I’M GOING
TO SIT DOWN PERHAPS AS A
FIRESIDE CHAT ON LIVE
TELEVISION, AND I WILL READ THE
TRANSCRIPT OF THE CALL BECAUSE
PEOPLE HAVE TO HEAR IT.
WHEN YOU READ IT, IT’S A
STRAIGHT CALL.
STRAIGHT CALL. JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS MY
COLLEAGUE RACHEL MADDOW, HOST OF
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW ON MSNBC
AND THE AUTHOR OF "BLOW OUT
CORRUPTED DEMOCRACY ROGUE STATE
RUSSIA AND THE RICHEST MOST
DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRY ON EARTH."
THANK YOU, MY FRIEND.
WE’LL GET TO THAT BOOK IN-DEPTH
IN THE NEXT SEGMENT.
I NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU’RE GOING
TO WEAR THE GLASSES BUT THIS IS
GREAT.
GREAT. LET’S GET SERIOUS THEN.
FIRST OF ALL A LITTLE FRIVOLOUS
QUESTION.
QUESTION. TRUMP AS FDR IN FRONT OF THE
FIRESIDE WARMING THE COCKLES OF
THE HEARTS OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, BUT IN THIS CASE
DEFENDING HIMSELF AGAINST
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. >> YOU KNOW, ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ, SHE RESPONDED TO
THE PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT
THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO THIS
THING AND HE TWEETED IN ALL
CAPS, READ THE TRANSCRIPT.
HER RESPONSE TO THAT ONLINE WAS
WE DID READ THE TRANSCRIPT.
THAT’S WHY WE STARTED
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS.
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS. AND I CHECKED JUST BEFORE WE GOT
ONLINE AND I THINK THAT’S GOT
SOMETHING LIKE 340,000 LIKES AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. 40,000 RE-TWEETS.
40,000 RE-TWEETS. I MEAN, THE IDEA THAT THE
TRANSCRIPT IS GOING TO BE HIS
WAY OUT OF THIS WHEN THE
TRANSCRIPT IS LITERALLY WHAT LED
NANCY PELOSI TO OPEN THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS, I
JUST -- I DON’T KNOW --
SOMETIMES I CAN FOLLOW HIS LOGIC
AND THIS ONE, I DON’T GET IT.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PELOSI
IN THESE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS
ESPECIALLY, HER STRATEGY, HER
THINKING, HER LEADERSHIP?
>> NANCY PELOSI KNOWS HER CAUCUS
AND HAS NEVER AS FAR AS I CAN
TELL EVER BEEN CAUGHT OUT WITH
THE BEHAVIOR OF HER CAUCUS
SURPRISING HER.
SURPRISING HER. WE’VE BOTH BEEN FOLLOWING HER
FOR YEARS.
FOR YEARS. I CAN’T THINK OF A SINGLE VOTE
PARTICULARLY A SINGLE MAJOR VOTE
WHERE THINGS DIDN’T GO THE WAY
SHE INTENDED THEM TO GO AND THE
WAY SHE KNEW THEM TO GO.
SO I FEEL LIKE SHE’S NOT EVER
GOING TO BE OUT THERE CRUSADING
FOR HER CAUCUS TO DO SOMETHING
THEY MIGHT NOT DO.
SHE’S ONLY ERVIN FRONT WHEN SHE
KNOWS SHE’S GOT THEM BEHIND HER
AND WHERE SHE CAN LEAD FROM A
POSITION OF CONFIDENCE AND
STRENGTH BECAUSE SHE KNOWS WHERE
THE PEOPLE ARE BECAUSE SHE’S GOT
THEM THERE.
THEM THERE. I FEEL LIKE WATCHING NANCY
PELOSI RIGHT NOW, I’M LESS
INTERESTED IN SORT OF FIGURING
WHAT SHE MIGHT WANT OR WHAT
MIGHT BE HER OWN ANALYSIS OF THE
POLITICAL IMPACT OF THIS
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. I FEEL LIKE WATCHING HER TELLS
YOU WHAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING
TO DO BECAUSE SHE’S NEVER WRONG
ABOUT HER OWN FOLKS.
>> I THINK SHE’S GOT A GREAT
LISTENING NETWORK OUT, PEOPLE
WHO TELL HER WHAT PEOPLE ARE
THINKING.
THINKING. THURSDAY’S HOUSE VOTE,
YESTERDAY, WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY
ON PARTY LINES.
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN
VOTED AGAINST THE RESOLUTION.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" POLL SHOWS
THE PUBLIC IS JUST AS DIVIDED
ALONG PARTY LINES.
82% OF DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT
TRUMP SHOULD BE IMPEACHED.
82% OF REPUBLICANS SAY HE SHOULD
NOT.
NOT. THE SYMMETRY, THE MIRROR IMAGING
OF THIS IS, I GUESS -- I LIVE IN
MARYLAND, YOU LIVE IN
MASSACHUSETTS AND NEW YORK.
I KNOW WE ALL LIVE IN DIFFERENT
GEOGRAPHIES, I DO KNOW PEOPLE,
THOUGH, RELATIVES WHO JUST WILL
NOT GIVE.
NOT GIVE. HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR THAT?
EVIDENCE IS NOT MOVING PEOPLE.
>> WELL, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT
TO RECOGNIZE WHERE WE ARE IN THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. I MEAN, THEY’RE GOING TO MOVE TO
THEIR PUBLIC HEARINGS NOW.
AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY
HAVE -- I MEAN, WHAT WE KNOW
ABOUT HOW THEY’RE PLANNING THE
PUBLIC HEARINGS RIGHT NOW IS
THEY’RE TAKING WITNESSES WHO
THEY’VE ALREADY HEARD FROM
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, SELECTING
SOME OF THEM AND THEY’RE GOING
TO PUT THEM IN FRONT OF THE
PUBLIC WITH STAFF QUESTIONING
THEM IN A WAY DESIGNED NOT ONLY
TO ELICIT INFORMATION, THEY’VE
ALREADY GOT THAT IN THE
DEPOSITIONS.
DEPOSITIONS. THEY CAN JUST TAKE THAT
INFORMATION FROM THE DEPOSITIONS
AND PUT IT IN THE REPORT IF THEY
WANTED TO.
WANTED TO. BUT THEY’RE GOING TO PICK THE
WITNESSES WHO THEY WANT WHO THEY
BELIEVE CAN TELL THE STORY TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IF PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE WAY
THE EVIDENCE IS LAID OUT I THINK
THE IDEA IS HONEST PEOPLE WILL
BE PERSUADABLE.
BE PERSUADABLE. I THINK THE PRESIDENT WILL HAVE
HIS DEFENDERS NO MATTER WHAT HE
DOES, EVEN IF HE DOES SHOOT
SOMEBODY ON FIFTH AVENUE.
BUT THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS IS
SUPPOSED TO BE ONE THAT
PERSUADES THE PUBLIC AND THAT
HASN’T STARTED YET.
>> YOU AND PELOSI HAVE ONE GREAT
STRENGTH, OR ONE CLEAR STRENGTH
IB
IB IN COMMON.
IN COMMON. YOU’RE BOTH TEACHERS.
THE WAY YOU GO ABOUT YOUR
BUSINESS ARE VERY ILLUSTRIOUS
AND HOW PEOPLE OUGHT TO THINK
AND REPORT.
AND REPORT. AND ARE PEOPLE LEARNING RIGHT
NOW ABOUT OUR CONSTITUTION?
ARE THEY LEARNING?
>> YES.
>> YES. WELL, I THINK SO.
I MEAN, I DON’T KNOW THAT I HAVE
MY FINGER ON THE PULSE OF
ANYBODY OTHER THAN MYSELF AND
I’M NOT EVEN SURE HOW WELL I
KNOW MYSELF SOMETIMES.
BUT THROUGH OUR OWN PROCESS OF
REPORTING ON AND TRYING TO
EXPLAIN THIS PRESIDENCY FOR THE
PAST TWO PLUS YEARS I FEEL LIKE,
BOY, HAVE I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL COURT
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. BOY, HAVE I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT
FOREIGN INFLUENCE OPERATIONS.
BOY, HAVE I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT
THE FBI AND THE CIA AND
PRESIDENTIAL SCANDAL AND THE
WAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, WITNESSES
CAN BE COMPELLED OR NOT.
I MEAN, THERE’S SO MANY ASPECTS
OF THIS PRESIDENCY THAT WE’VE
HAD TO LEARN IN DETAIL SIMPLY
BECAUSE IT’S BEEN SCANDAL AFTER
SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL, AND WE
HAVE TO LEARN IT JUST TO STAY UP
ON WHAT’S GOING ON.
NOW, AT THE SAME TIME, OUR
DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES ARE UNDER
DIRECT ATTACK FROM THE PRESIDENT
IN A WAY WE’VE NEVER SEEN IN
U.S. HISTORY BEFORE, AND I THINK
THAT’S MAKING US LEARN ABOUT
THEM IF ONLY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
IT IS THAT’S THREATENED.
AND SO IT’S A -- THIS IS TIME
FOR SORT OF I THINK FOR SPECIFIC
DEDICATION, TO BE DEDICATED TO