>>> GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN FROM OUR NBC NEWS HEADQUARTERS HERE
IN NEW YORK, I’M STEVE IN FOR
BRIAN WILLIAMS.
BRIAN WILLIAMS. DAY 1072 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND THE POLITICAL
LANDSCAPE WILL SOON SHIFT
DRAMATICALLY FOR THIS WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THE YEAR
WILL POSE CRITICAL CHALLENGES
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.
2020 IS JUST DAYS AWAY AND THE
PRESIDENT IS HEADING INTO THE
NEW YEAR AMID THE BIGGEST CRISIS
OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
HE IS FACING AN IMPEACHMENT
TRIAL IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE AND TONIGHT, SENATORS ARE
STILL AWAITING THE ACTUAL
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT FROM THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. SPEAKER PELOSI SAYS SHE NEEDS TO
KNOW DETAILS ABOUT THE TRIAL
PROCESS BEFORE SHE TRANSMITS
THOSE ARTICLES.
THOSE ARTICLES. TODAY, PELOSI SENT OUT THIS
TWEET, QUOTE, PRESIDENT TRUMP
ABUSED HIS POWER FOR HIS OWN
PERSONAL GAIN.
PERSONAL GAIN. HOURS LATER, TRUMP REACTED WITH
THIS, "SO INTERESTING TO SEE
NANCY PELOSI DEMANDING FAIRNESS
FROM SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
McCONNELL WHEN SHE PRESIDED OVER
THE MOST UNFAIR HEARING OF THE
UNITED STATES CONGRESS."
PELOSI AND SENATE MINORITY
LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER ARING FOR
McCONNELL TO SUBPOENA WITNESSES.
THEIR EFFORTS ARE GETTING AN
ASSIST FROM A GROUP CALLED
REPUBLICANS FOR THE RULE OF LAW
WHICH RELEASED THIS AD AIMED AT
SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS OF MAINE,
A REPUBLICAN WHO’S UP FOR
RE-ELECTION IN 2020.
>> KEY WITNESSES IN THE UKRAINE
SCANDAL MUST TESTIFY IN THE
SENATE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
THESE WITNESSES INCLUDE RUDY
GIULIANI.
GIULIANI. >> SO YOU DID ASK UKRAINE TO
LOOK INTO JOE BIDEN.
>> OF COURSE I DID.
>> MICK MULVANEY.
>> WHAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED IS A
QUID PRO QUO.
>> THERE’S GOING TO BE POLITICAL
INFLUENCE IN FOREIGN POLICY.
>> MIKE POMPEO.
>> RUDY GIULIANI DELIVERED
UKRAINE FILES TO MIKE POMPEO.
>> A LAWYER FOR JOE BIDEN SAYS
HIS CLIENT HAS NEW INFORMATION.
>> CALL SENATOR COLLINS AND TELL
HER THESE WITNESSES MUST
TESTIFY.
TESTIFY. >> SOME HOUSE DEMOCRATS WANT TO
MAKE SURE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
MITCH McCONNELL IS THE MAIN
FOCUS OF THE PRESSURE TO CALL
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. >> ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DONALD
TRUMP HAS SAID THAT CAN PROFESS
HIS INNOCENCE, HE HASN’T LET
COME BEFORE CONGRESS.
WE CAN HELP USE THIS AS LEVERAGE
TO MAKE THE SENATE DO THE RIGHT
THING.
THING. MITCH McCONNELL ALREADY SAID
THAT HE’S WORKING HAND IN HAND
WITH THE WHITE HOUSE ON THIS.
HE’S NOT IMPARTIAL JUROR.
THAT’S, AGAIN, BREAKING THE
RULES THAT EXIST.
>> AND IMPEACHMENT TRIAL WOULD
GET UNDER WAY JUST AS TRUMP
ESCALATES HIS FIGHT FOR A SECOND
TERM.
TERM. HE’S SET TO LAUNCH AN
EVANGELICALS FOR TRUMP COALITION
IN MIAMI ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT.
THAT’S ON JANUARY 3rd.
THEN HOLD A RALLY SIX DAYS LATER
IN TOLEDO, OHIO.
WHILE WE’VE HEARD TRUMP TRYING
OUT VERSIONS OF A MESSAGE BASED
ON KEEPING AMERICA GREAT, OR
PROMISING VOTERS THAT THE BEST
IS YET TO COME, IN RECENT WEEKS,
HE HAS USED IMPEACHMENT AND
INVESTIGATIONS INTO HIS CONDUCT
TO TRY TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH
VOTERS.
VOTERS. >> OUR OPPONENTS HAVE SPENT
EVERY WAKING MINUTE OF THE LAST
THREE YEARS TRYING TO OVERTHROW
THE ELECTION OF 2016 AND AT A
MINIMUM TO SABOTAGE THE ELECTION
OF 2020.
OF 2020. THE RADICAL DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING
TO OVERTURN THE LAST ELECTION
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THEY
CANNOT WIN THE NEXT ELECTION.
AFTER THREE YEARS OF SINISTER
WITCH HUNTS, HOAXES, SCAMS,
TONIGHT THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE
TRYING TO NULLIFY THE BALLOTS OF
TENS OF MILLIONS OF PATRIOTIC
AMERICANS.
AMERICANS. >> THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE THAT
THE IOWA CAUCUSES, WHICH WILL
TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY
3rd, MAY COLLIDE WITH A SENATE
TRIAL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP.
NBC NEWS REPORTS THAT SOME TRUMP
CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE IMPACT OF IMPEACHMENT
ON VOTERS THAT THEY HAVE DUBBED
DISENGAGERS OR THOSE WHO, QUOTE,
HAVEN’T BEEN REGULARLY ATTENDING
RALLIES, DIDN’T VOTE FOR
REPUBLICANS IN THE 2018
MIDTERMS, AND HAVEN’T
NECESSARILY RESPONDED POSITIVELY
TO CAMPAIGN OUTREACH IN THE LAST
THREE YEARS.
THREE YEARS. TODAY, BERNIE SANDERS SEEMED TO
INDICATE THAT HIS CAMPAIGN IS
AWARE THAT SOME OF TRUMP’S
VOTERS MIGHT BE UP FOR GRABS.
>> IF YOU WANT TO BEAT TRUMP,
YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A LARGE
VOTER TURNOUT, AND I THINK OUR
CAMPAIGN IS THAT CAMPAIGN.
>> ONE DAY AFTER THE UPCOMING
IOWA CAUCUSES ON FEBRUARY 4th,
TRUMP IS SET TO DELIVER HIS
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS.
WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE.
IN JANUARY 1999, BILL CLINTON
DELIVERED HIS STATE OF THE UNION
ADDRESS WHILE HIS IMPEACHMENT
TRIAL WAS UNDER WAY, BUT HE DID
NOT MENTION HIS TRIAL AT ALL
DURING HIS 77-MINUTE SPEECH.
TRUMP, HOWEVER, HAS BEEN MORE
THAN WILLING TO DISCUSS HIS
IMPEACHMENT AND TO OPENLY
QUESTION IT.
QUESTION IT. >> I’M THE FIRST PERSON TO EVER
GET IMPEACHED AND THERE’S NO
CRIME.
CRIME. LIKE, I FEEL GUILTY.
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY CALL IT?
IMPEACHMENT LITE.
IMPEACHMENT LITE. IT’S IMPEACHMENT LITE.
THAT’S WHY YOU KNOW WITH RICHARD
NIXON, I JUST SEE IT AS A VERY
DARK ERA.
DARK ERA. VERY DARK, VERY, OH, YOU DON’T
EVEN LIKE TO THINK.
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I’M
HAVING A GOOD TIME.
IT’S CRAZY.
IT’S CRAZY. SO, I’M NOT WORRIED.
I’M NOT WORRIED.
BECAUSE IT’S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN