TRIED TO UNDERMINE HIS CHANCES OF WINNING THE PRESIDENCY IN
2016.
2016. >> THE RUSSIAN TALKING POINTS
THAT UKRAINE --
>> IT’S UNBELIEVABLE.
WE HAVE A SURROGATE FOR RUSSIAN
DISINFORMATION.
DISINFORMATION. >> KASIE HUNT IS WIRED UP AND
GOING TO TALK TO US.
THIS IS JUST THE PREGAME HOUR
PRIOR TO THE SENATE GETTING
GAVELLED INTO ORDER AT 1:00
EASTERN TIME.
EASTERN TIME. AND IT’S DURING THIS HOUR THAT
WE HAVE NEWS WE’RE SCRAMBLING TO
REACT TO AND WONDERING HOW MANY
OF THE 100 SENATORS WILL BE
BRIEFED UP AND CURRENT ON THIS
BECAUSE IT CAN’T BE MORE TIMELY
GIVEN WHAT THEY’RE ABOUT TO
EMBARK ON.
EMBARK ON. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?
>> Reporter: BRIAN, THAT’S JUST
IT.
IT. THIS IS BREAKING UP HERE ON THE
SAME TIMELINE AS WHAT YOU GUYS
ARE HEARING AND IT COULD NOT
COME AT A MORE PIVOTAL MOMENT AS
THEY’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THIS
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL. THIS IS THE KIND OF BOMBSHELL
THAT MITCH McCONNELL HAS BEEN
AFRAID OF ALL THE WAY ALONG.
WE HAD ONE ON SUNDAY NIGHT.
HIS CAUCUS -- HIS CONFERENCE
PANICKED.
PANICKED. HE WAS ABLE TO CONTAIN IT.
HE TRIED TO MOVE EVERYTHING
ALONG AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AFTER
THAT ONCE HE WAS ABLE TO CONTAIN
THAT PANICER.
THAT PANICER. HE WORKED TO PUT A LITTLE BIT OF
SPACE BETWEEN THE SCOOP AND THIS
VOTE THAT WE’RE NOW EXPECTING
TODAY.
TODAY. SUDDENLY THERE’S NEW INFORMATION
THAT INVOLVES PAT CIPOLLONE
WHOSE BEEN DOWN ON THE FLOOR OF
THE SENATE MAKING THESE
ARGUMENTS, ACTUALLY BEING IN A
ROOM WHERE SUPPOSEDLY SOME OF
THIS HAPPENED, NOT TO USE THE
NOW VERY OVERUSED PHRASE FROM
THE MUSICAL, AND THE TITLE OF
JOHN BOLTON’S BOOK.
HE’S ALLEGING THAT PAT CIPOLLONE
WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
IN THE ROOM AND BORE WITNESS TO
THE PRESIDENT DOING THIS, WHAT
THEY HAVE BEEN DEFENDING HIM
AGAINST ON THE FLOOR FOR THE
LAST TWO WEEKS.
SO THAT IS QUITE SOMETHING.
AND AS GARRETT WAS REPORTING,
WE’RE WAITING ON LISA MURKOWSKI.
IF SHE DECIDES TO SIDE WITH
ROMNEY AND COLLINS, THEN WE’RE
IN THE 50/50 SCENARIO.
BUT SUDDENLY WITH THIS NEW
INFORMATION HANGING OUT THERE,
THAT SEEMS LIKE A WEIGHTIER
MOVE.
MOVE. YOU ALSO POTENTIALLY HAVE THE
TIMELINE HERE BEING STRETCHED
OUT.
OUT. WE’RE NOW HEARING -- WE’RE STILL
IN THE EARLY STAGES OF REPORTING
THIS OUT, BUT WE NOW HAVE AIDES
TELLING OUR CAPITOL HILL TEAM
THAT IT’S POSSIBLE THIS COULD
STRETCH TO WEDNESDAY OF NEXT
WEEK BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED IN HEARING CLOSING
ARGUMENTS.
ARGUMENTS. I’M SORTING THROUGH THAT
REPORTING AND TOUCHING BASE WITH
MY SOURCES TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY
WHAT THAT MEANS.
IT’S POSSIBLE IT’S AS SERIOUS AS
A REAL POSSIBILITY.
IT’S ALSO POSSIBILITY IT’S A
TRIAL BALLOON BECAUSE DEMOCRATS
LIKELY HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER
THE TIME LINE HERE IF THEY WANT
TO TRY TO DRAG THIS OUT FOR A
FEW MORE DAYS, PERHAPS
REPUBLICANS THINKING, OH, WELL,
THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
WILL THROW A FIT IF WE SUGGEST
THEY COULD BE HERE THROUGH THE
WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT
WEEK.
WEEK. THE WHITE HOUSE, OF COURSE, NOT
INTERESTED IN SEEING THIS DRAG
OUT PAST THE STATE OF THE UNION
WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY
NIGHT.
NIGHT. THAT WOULD PUT A CLOUD OVER THE
PRESIDENT AS HE COMES UP HERE TO
CAPITOL HILL.
CAPITOL HILL. BETWEEN THIS SCOOP, THE
UNCERTAINTY ON THE TIMING, NOT
KNOWING WHERE LISA MURKOWSKI
STANDS, A LOT OF EYES ON THE
CHIEF JUSTICE, THINGS ARE
UNCERTAIN RIGHT NOW, BRIAN, AND
IT’S VERY DIFFERENT THAN EVEN
WHEN WE LEFT THE CAPITOL LAST
NIGHT UNDER THE IMPRESSION
REPUBLICANS WERE GOING TO MOVE
VERY QUICKLY TO WRAP THIS UP.
>> IT’S POSSIBLE THAT EVEN
McCONNELL THINKS IT WOULD BE TOO
GROSS TO WRAP THIS UP TONIGHT,
CUT TO SEAN HANNITY, VICTORY LAP
INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT
DURING THE SUPER BOWL PREGAME
AND THE PRESIDENT WALKING DOWN
THE AISLE FOR THE STATE OF THE
UNION.
UNION. >> WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT I
THINK MITCH McCONNELL WANTS TO
WRAP THIS UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
AND I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE
MORE TRUE AFTER THIS "NEW YORK
TIMES" STORY.
TIMES" STORY. I HAVE TO DO SOME MORE REPORTING
WITH HIS OFFICE ON THIS STORY.
I HAVEN’T PUT THAT QUESTION TO
THEM, SO I DON’T WANT TO SPEAK
TO THEM ON THIS YET.
BUT THING HE’S BEEN IN THE
POSITION OF WANTING TO WRAP THIS
UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE QUESTION IS, WHERE IS HIS
CONFERENCE?
CONFERENCE? DOES HIS CONFERENCE BALK AT THIS
NEW INFORMATION.
NEW INFORMATION. HE CAN’T DO ANYTHING IF HIS
CONFERENCE ISN’T BEHIND HIM.
THAT’S THE ONLY THING THAT
MATTERS.
MATTERS. MY QUESTION IS DOES THIS AFFECT
LISA MURKOWSKI AND THROW US INTO
A MORE UNCERTAIN SITUATION, AND,
B, I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF
PRESSURE FROM McCONNELL’S OFFICE
TO GET PEOPLE TO GO ON THE
RECORD ON THEIR WITNESS VOTE SO
THIS ALL WOULD SEEM A LITTLE BIT
MORE CERTAIN HEADING INTO IT.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO, I THINK,
ASK, YOU KNOW -- AND PROBABLY
ARE ALREADY ASKING -- I’M BACKED
UP BY A HUGE AMAZING TEAM HERE
ON THE HILL WHO I’M SURE IS
RUNNING AFTER ALL OF THE
SENATORS AS YOU AND I ARE
TALKING, TO FIGURE OUT IF
THERE’S ANYBODY THAT MIGHT FEEL
AS THOUGH THEY WANT TO CHANGE
THEIR VOTE.
THEIR VOTE. IT’S HARDER AND I THINK ONE OF
THE REASONS McCONNELL WAS
PUSHING PEOPLE TO PUT THEIR
STATEMENTS OUT THERE, IT’S
HARDER TO BACK YOU HAVE
SOMETHING WHEN YOU’VE BEEN OUT
THERE PUBLICLY SAYING I’M GOING
TO DO "X."