>> CHUCK TODD STARTS NOW WITH "MTV DAILY."
"MTV DAILY." >> WELCOME TO THURSDAY.
IT IS "MEET THE PRESS DAILY."
I AM CHUCK TODD HERE IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. I WILL SAY THIS LIGHTLY.
LET’S BE FRANK, THE NATIONAL
NIGHTMARE IS UPON US.
WE BEGIN TONIGHT WSITH A SERIES
ADMISSIONS OF THE PRESIDENT.
REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN SILENT ON
WHAT WE HAVE SEEN FROM THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. HE CALLED ON TWO FOREIGN
GOVERNMENTS TO INTERFERE IN THE
ELECTION BY INVESTIGATING ON HIS
2020 RIVAL.
2020 RIVAL. >> WHAT ARE YOU HOPING --
>> WELL, I WOULD THINK IF THEY
WERE HONEST ABOUT IT, THEY WOULD
START A MAJOR INVESTIGATION INTO
BIDEN.
BIDEN. IT IS A SIMPLE ANSWER.
THEY SHOULD INVESTIGATE THE
BIDENS BECAUSE HOW DOES A
COMPANY THAT’S NEWLY FORMED AND
ALL THESE COMPANIES THAT YOU
LOOK AT AND BY THE WAY LIKE
WISE, CHINA SHOULD START AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE BIDENS
BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED IN CHINA
IS JUST ABOUT AS BAD AS WHAT
HAPPENED WITH UKRAINE.
SO I WOULD SAY PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY, IF IT WERE ME, ILL
RECOMMEND THEY START AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE BIDENS
BECAUSE NOBODY HAS ANY DOUBT
THAT THEY WERE NOT CROOKED.
THAT WAS THE CROOKED DEAL 100%.
>> SO WHAT YOU JUST HEARD IS A
PUBLIC ADMISSION OF THE
ALLEGATIONS OF THE HEART OF THE
HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AND AT
THE HEART OF THE WHISTLEBLOWER’S
COMPLAINT.
COMPLAINT. DONALD TRUMP IS USING THE POWER
OF HIS OFFICE TO SOLICIT
APPEARANCE -- THIS IS NOT
HEARSAY OR A WHISTLEBLOWER’S
COMPLAINT OR A MEMORYANDUM.
YOU HEARD THE PRESIDENT DID IT
ALONE.
ALONE. AND YET THERE HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY
NO CONDEMNATION FOR THE
PRESIDENT’S PARTY AT ALL FOR
THIS REMARK WHICH WAS REMARKABLE
CONSIDERING THE PRESIDENT.
THE LASTING DAMAGE IT WOULD DO
TO OUR DEMOCRACY.
IT IS TOUGH TO SAY LIGHTLY.
THIS IS MOMENT WE ARE BACK.
JOINING ME, PETER ALEXANDER, OUR
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, GEOFF
BENNETT ON CAPITOL HILL.
PETER, I DON’T KNOW IF PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF WHAT
THE PRESIDENT DID.
THE PRESIDENT ANSWERED JEFF
MASON’S QUESTION YESTERDAY.
HE DID SO IN A PUBLIC WAY, IS
ANYBODY INSIDE THAT WHITE HOUSE
REALIZE THAT THE PRESIDENT
ESSENTIALLY OWNED UP TO WHAT IS
BEING INVESTIGATED FOR?
>> WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK TO A WHITE HOUSE
SPOKESPERSON.
SPOKESPERSON. WE SAID WHY IS IT PROPER FOR THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TO CALL ON CHINA TO INVESTIGATE
A DOMESTIC POLITICAL RIVAL, THAT
SPOKESPERSON’S RESPONSE TO US,
NO COMMENT.
NO COMMENT. TO PUT THIS IN SIMPLE TERMS
RIGHT NOW FACING AN IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY QUIETLY URGING A FOREIGN
LEADER TO INVESTIGATE JOE BIDEN,
THE PRESIDENT TODAY PUBLICLY
URGED ANOTHER FOREIGN POWER TO
INVESTIGATE JOE BIDEN.
HE ONLY AMPLIFIES THIS ISSUE
THAT EXISTED TO THIS POINT.
THE BACKDROP OF ALL THIS AS IT
RELATES TO CHINA, CHUCK, THE
CHINESE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THIS TRADE WAR WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND IN ADVANCE TO THOSE
COMMENTS, HE BROUGHT UP CHINA
UNPROMPTED.
UNPROMPTED. >> IS HE CONNECTING THE TWO,
PETER?
PETER? I GOT THE IMPRESSION HE WAS
ESSENTIALLY SAYING IF YOU
DON’T -- IF YOU WANT A BETTER
DEAL FOR ME ON TRADE, YOU BETTER
HELP INVESTIGATE JOE BIDEN.
HE SEEMS TO IMPLY A QUID PRO
QUO.
QUO. >> ON UKRAINE, THE QUID PRO QUO
THAT PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON,
HEY, I AM WITHHOLDING MILITARY
ASSISTANCE, IF YOU WANT MORE, I
NEED YOU TO INVESTIGATE JOE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. THE SENTENCE THAT PROCEEDED THIS
WAS THE PRESIDENT SAYING I HAVE
A LOT OF OPTIONS ON CHINA BUT IF
THEY DON’T DO WHAT WE WANT, WE
HAVE TREMENDOUS POWER, CHUCK,
THE BOTTOM LINE IS -- IT WAS A
REMARKABLE SCENE OUT THERE ON
THE LAWN.
THE LAWN. WE WERE POSING THE QUESTIONS TO
THEM.
THEM. THE QUESTION THAT JEFF MASON
TRIED TO GET ANSWERED.
THOSE WE ARE HEARING THAT HE
ONLY MADE THE SITUATION MUCH
WORSE.
WORSE. >> AND YET IT DOES FEEL LIKE
LIKE -- DOES HE BELIEVE THAT IF
HE JUST SAYS IT PUBLICLY, IT
MAKES IT SEEM LESS SINISTER?
>> THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN
FOUR YEARS THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS PUBLICLY SORT OF AS NOW --
>> PUBLICLY LOBBIED.
>> YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> RUSSIA OF JULY OF 2017, JULY
OF THIS YEAR, THAT WAS A PRIVATE
CALL.
CALL. HE SAID IT PUBLICLY THAT HE
WANTS UKRAINE HELP AND CALLING
ON CHINA TO DO IT.
YOU RECOGNIZE DURING THE
RUSSIA’S INVESTIGATION, THE
PRESIDENT’S ARGUMENT WAS NO
COLLUSION HERE.
COLLUSION HERE. THE EYES OF HIS CRITICS AND THE
EYES OF A LOT OF INDEPENDENT
VIEWERS RIGHT NOW IS SAYING HEY,
I AM IN EFFECT COLLUDING FOR
EVERYBODY TO SEE.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT
IT?
IT? >>.
>>. >> LET ME GO OVER TO GEOFF
BENNETT.
BENNETT. THE LOUDEST SOUND MADE TODAY WAS
THE SILENCE OF ANY REPUBLICAN
CONDEMNATION OF THE PRESIDENT
CALL ON CHIENACHINA, OF ALL COUN
CHINA WHO GOT A GREAT TRACK
RECORD ON THE RULE OF LAW TO BE
AN INVESTIGATIVE BODY HERE.
WHAT KIND OF ANSWERS ARE YOU
GETTING OFF THE RECORD?
>> THE SAME ANSWER WE ARE
GETTING ON THE RECORD, CHUCK.
WHAT YOU HEAR FROM REPUBLICANS
SPECIFICALLY ON THE IMPEACHMENT
ISSUE IS NOT A DEFENSE OF THE
PRESIDENT’S LANGUAGE OR THE
RHETORIC.
RHETORIC. WHAT YOU HEAR IS AN ATTACK OF
THE PROCESS OF THE MESSENGER.
THAT IS SORT OF INSTRUCTIVE WHAT
IN SOME CASES KILLING HIS PLIT
POLITICAL
POLITICAL POLITICAL COMPONENT, I THINK ONE
MAY ONLY LOOK FURTHER THAN THE
DIFFERENT AND DIVERGENT PHASE OF
LINDSEY GRAHAM AND JEFF FLAKE.
BOTH MEN WERE SENATORS WHEN
DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED.
LINDSEY GRAHAM TWEETED IF DONALD
TRUMP WERE OUR NOMINEE, WE’LL BE
DESTROYED AND WELL DESERVED.
AFTER HE WAS ELECTED, LINDSEY
GRAHAM BECAME TRUMP’S BEST
FRIEND, HIS GOLFING PARTNER AND
JEFF FLAKE WAS AN OPPONENT OF
HIS.
HIS. JEFF FLAKE DECIDED HE COULD NOT
WIN WITHOUT COZYING UP TO DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. THAT’S THE END OF HIS CAREER
HERE IN THE SENATE.
LINDSEY GRAHAM TODAY, HIS
APPROVAL NUMBER IN THE
REPUBLICANS PARTY IN SOUTH
CAROLINE HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO SEE ANYTHING
DIFFERENT FROM REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS ON HOW THEY RESPOND TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. >> THIS IS NOT A FACTION OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY NOW.
IT IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS IT
IS CURRENTLY CONSTRUCTED WITH