FIFTH? LET’S PLAY "HARDBALL."
>>> GOOD EVENING.
I’M CHRIS MATTHEWS IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. DONALD TRUMP IS DEFENDING HIS
OLDEST SON’S ATTEMPT TO GET DIRT
ON HILLARY CLINTON AND HE COULD
PLEAD HIS FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHT
TO NOT TESTIFY ON THE GROUNDS IT
WOULD INCRIMINATE HIM.
LED BY RICHARD BUR, HE SERVED
THE PRESIDENT’S SON WITH A
SUBPOENA.
SUBPOENA. THEY WANT TO QUESTION OTHER
THINGS ABOUT THE MEETING WITH
RUSSIANS AT TRUMP TOWER IN JUNE
OF 2016, A MEETING HE TOOK WITH
THE PROMISE OF NEGATIVE KREMLIN
OPPO ON HILLARY CLINTON.
HE WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO APPEAR
IN PERSON.
IN PERSON. HE COULD INVOKE HIS RIGHTS IN A
WRITTEN RESPONSE.
WRITTEN RESPONSE. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHAT
DONALD TRUMP TOLD THE SENATE AND
WHAT’S CONTAINED IN THE MUELLER
REPORT ITSELF.
REPORT ITSELF. THEY WANT TO ASK DONALD TRUMP,
JR. ABOUT HIS ACCOUNT OF WHAT HE
TOLD HIS FATHER ABOUT THAT TRUMP
TOWER MEETING.
TOWER MEETING. IN HIS 2017 TESTIMONY, TRUMP,
JR. SAID HE DID NOT INFORM HIS
FATHER ABOUT THE MEETING
BEFOREHAND.
BEFOREHAND. THE MUELLER REPORT SHOWS THAT
MICHAEL COHEN SAID OTHERWISE,
RECALLING THAT TRUMP, JR. TOLD
HIS FATHER THEY WERE MOVING
FORWARD.
FORWARD. HE SAID HE DIDN’T KNOW RUSSIA
WAS MENTIONED.
WAS MENTIONED. NOW THE PRESIDENT IS DEFENDING
HIS SON AND THE MEETING WITH THE
RUSSIANS.
RUSSIANS. >> THE MUELLER REPORT CAME OUT.
MY SON IS A GOOD PERSON.
MY SON TESTIFIED FOR HOURS AND
HOURS.
HOURS. MY SON WAS TOTALLY EXONERATED BY
MUELLER.
MUELLER. WHO FRANKLY DOES NOT LIKE DONALD
TRUMP, ME, THIS DONALD TRUMP.
FRANKLY FOR MY SON AFTER BEING
EXONERATED TO NOW GET A SUBPOENA
TO GO AGAIN AND SPEAK AGAIN
AFTER CLOSE TO 20 HOURS OF
TELLING EVERYBODY THAT WOULD
LISTEN ABOUT A NOTHING MEETING?
YEAH, I’M PRETTY SURPRISED.
>> SHOULD HE FIGHT THE SUBPOENA?
>> WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
I’M REALLY SURPRISED.
>> U.S. CONGRESS, RAJA KRISHNA
MOORTH WHO SERVES ON THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND
WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF.
I HAVE TO GO TO THE CONGRESSMAN
FIRST.
FIRST. THIS IS AN AMAZEING DEVELOPMENT.
A REPUBLICAN IS STANDING UP TO
TRUMP SAYING WE HAVE A PROBLEM
AND WE HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR SON.
>> THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN
EXERCISE.
EXERCISE. THIS IS A REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
CHAIR IN THE SENATE ISSUING A
SUBPOENA TO DRONON TRUMP, JR. TO
EXPLAIN HIMSELF.
EXPLAIN HIMSELF. THERE IS TESTIMONY NEEDED ABOUT
THIS VERY IMPORTANT MEETING IN
TRUMP TOWER IN NEW YORK CITY.
HE IS DOING HIS DUTY.
HE’S DOING THE JOB OF TRYING TO
PURSUE MORE EVIDENCE, MORE
INFORMATION, AND HIS COUNTER
INTELLIGENCE MISSION AS WELL.
>> I WANT TO SAY, YOU WANT
EVERYBODY ON THIS ONE.
HE IS ASKING THE SON TO TESTIFY
AGAINST THE OLD MAN.
HE SAID IF HE SAID THE OLD MAN
KNEW ABOUT THAT MEETING, THE
RUSSIAN REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
CREME LIP IN JUNE OF 2016 AND
THE OLD MAN SAID I DIDN’T KNOW
ABOUT IT, HE SAID MY FATHER IS A
LIAR.
LIAR. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
THAT’S WHAT BURR WANTS TO
DISCUSS.
DISCUSS. IN THE COUNTER INTELLIGENCE
COMPONENT OF THE MUELLER REPORT,
WE HAVEN’T SEEN ANY OF THAT.
WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE
METHODOLOGIES THE RUSSIANS WERE
USING.
USING. THAT MIGHT BE WHAT HE IS TRYING
TO ASSESS OUT.
DID THE RUSSIANS USE THESE
TECHNIQUES TO GET TO DONALD
TRUMP AND DID DONALD TRUMP
FINALLY ADD THAT MISSING PART OF
THE GAME.
THE GAME. >> THIS IS YOUR LINE OF THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. THE COUNTER INTELLIGENCE PART,
THE RUSSIANS WERE UP TO
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. THEY SAID WE GOT NOTHING OUT OF
THE MEETING.
THE MEETING. WHAT THEY WERE TOLD IS THE
RUSSIANS WANTED TO HELP THE
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. DONALD TRUMP, JR. SAID I LOVE
IT.
IT. THIS WAS A SIGNAL, INTENTIONAL
OR NOT, FROM THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
TO THE RUSSIANS, IF YOU
INTERVENE IN THIS ELECTION, WE
DON’T MIND.
DON’T MIND. IF DONALD TRUMP, SR. KNOWS ABOUT
THIS AND IT IMPLICATES HIM IN
GIVING A GREEN LIGHT TO THE
RUSSIANS TO DO WHAT YOU ARE
GOING TO DO.
THIS MEETING HAPPENED A WEEK
BEFORE THE RUSSIANS STARTED
LEAKING INFORMATION THEY HAD
STOLEN FROM THE DEMOCRATS.
A WEEK BEFORE.
THEY MUST HAVE FELT GOOD THEY
COULD GET AWAY WITH IT.
>> THE TESTIMONY FROM DONALD
TRUMP ABOUT THE MEETING ABOUT
THE KNOWLEDGE BEFOREHAND.
>> IT’S IMPORTANT AND ALSO
ILLEGAL TO LIE TO CONGRESS.
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF
INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN HIS
TESTIMONY AND WHAT WAS SAID IN
THE MUELLER REPORT AND TESTIMONY
GIVEN IN FRONT OF SENATE
COMMITTEES.
COMMITTEES. NOT JUST THE TRUMP TOWER
MEETING, BUT DON, JR. DISCUSSING
THE PROJECT IN MOSCOW.
MICHAEL COHEN TELLING COMMITTEES
AND THEY TALKED ABOUT IT MUCH
MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN DON, JR.
ADMITTED IN THE HOUSE COMMITTEE.
>> BY STANDING FIRMLY BEHIND IT,
THEY ARE DEFENDING CONGRESS’S
RIGHT TO FULFILL OVERSIGHT
SUPPORTS.
SUPPORTS. "THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THAT NEGOTIATIONS OVER THE
TESTIMONY DRAGGED ON.
HE BELIEVED THEY WERE DEFYING
THE AUTHORITY.
THE AUTHORITY. TRUMP ALLIES ARE SAYING THE
REPUBLICAN SHOULDN’T CROSS THE
PRESIDENT’S FAMILY.
PRESIDENT’S FAMILY. WHAT IS THIS?
THE ROMAN OFS?
A PERSON SAID CATCH THIS.
NO LAWYER WOULD ALLOW THE PR
STUNT FROM A REPUBLICAN SENATOR,
TOO COWARDLY TO STAND UP TO HIS
BOSS.
BOSS. AND THE REST OF THE RESISTANCE
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. THESE GUYS SOUND LIKE THUGS AND
CHARACTERS OUT OF A MEMBERSTER
MOVIE.
MOVIE. SEVERAL FILED SUIT INCLUDING
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN
McCARTHY.
McCARTHY. CONGRESSMAN, THIS GETS TO THE
THING I WONDERED ABOUT.
WHY DON’T THEY STAND UP TO
CONGRESS TO GET TO THE TRUTH
WITH THEIR OVERSIGHT?
WHY DON’T THEY HAVE THE
INTEGRITY.
INTEGRITY. THEY ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE
CONGRESS WHEN IT COMES TO THE
CONSTITUTION.
CONSTITUTION. HE TREATS HIM LIKE HE IS TO BE
SHUNNED BECAUSE HE DID THIS.
>> THAT’S RIGHT, CHRIS.
I HAVE TO SAY THERE IS ONE OTHER
INSTANCE WHERE ANOTHER
REPUBLICAN HAS ACTUALLY CALLED
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THAT IS
DEF IN
DEF IN DEVIN NUNEZ.
DEVIN NUNEZ. NUNEZ AND SCHIFF ASKED FOR THE
COUNTER INTELLIGENCE FINDINGS
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
BECAUSE WE ARE STATUTORILY
OBLIGATED TO RECEIVE THAT
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. HOPEFULLY THERE ARE MORE
REPUBLICANS LIKE MR. NUNEZ AND
SENATOR BURR WHO WANT US TO
PERFORM OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY
TO OVERTIGHT.
TO OVERTIGHT. THIS IS NOT PARTISAN.
THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT IS ACCOUNTABLE
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. IN THIS SITUATION, I THINK
SENATOR BUR IS RIGHT.
HE NEEDS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
CONVERSATION WITH TRUMP, JR. AND
HIS FATHER.
HIS FATHER. ONE ISSUE WITH REGARD TO COUNTER
INTELLIGENCE.
INTELLIGENCE. IF IT IS A LIE, WHAT DON, JR.
HAS BEEN SAYING WITH REGARD TO
THE CONVERSATION WITH HIS FATHER
AND THE RUSSIANS KNOW THAT, THAT
IN ITSELF IS CALLED INFORMATION
THAT COULD BE USED AGAINST DON
WHO BY THE WAY IS THE HEAD OF
THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION TO GET TO
HIS FATHER.
HIS FATHER. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY
SERIOUS.
SERIOUS. >> THE RUSSIANS KNOW ALL ABOUT
THAT MEETING.
THAT MEETING. NATALIA WAS AN AGENT OF THE
ESSENTIALLY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
OF RUSSIA.
OF RUSSIA. SHE WAS SENT THERE ON A MISSION
TO SEE IF THE TRUMP TEAM WOULD
BITE AT WHAT THEY GAVE THEM.
WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHETHER THEY
REALLY BIT AND USED IT, BUT
MAYBE SENATOR BURR IS STANDING
UP FOR THE CONSTITUTION AND ONE
STEP TOO MUCH TO ALLOW DONALD
TRUMP, JR. TO GET AWAY WITH WHAT
HE SAID BEFORE AND HE WANTS TO
PUT HIM ON THE RECORD AND ENSURE