Protect seniors, not drug company profits.
company profits. >>> WELCOME BACK.
TURNING NOW TO THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION AND THE BIG
BOMBSHELL OF THE WEEK, MICHAEL
COHEN’S ADMISSION THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S INVOLVEMENT IN HIS
MOSCOW TOWER PROJECT WAS DEEPER
AND LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN
COHEN HAD TESTIFIED TO CONGRESS
ABOUT.
ABOUT. THE GUILTY PLEA BY PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S FORMER LAWYER COULD HELP
US UNDERSTAND SOME OF WHAT WE
SAW IN 2016.
IT COULD EXPLAIN WHY MR. TRUMP
EARLY ON HAD INCENTIVE TO
EMBRACE VLADIMIR PUTIN DURING
THE CAMPAIGN.
THE CAMPAIGN. IT COULD EXPLAIN WHY MR. TRUMP
CALLED FOR GIVING PUTIN RELIEF
FROM SANCTIONS OVER HIS
ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA FROM
UKRAINE, AND IT COULD EXPLAIN
WHY THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM WAS
STRIPPED OF A PROPOSAL TO GIVE
LETHAL AID TO UKRAINE.
WHAT IT CERTAINLY DOES IS PLACE
PRESIDENT TRUMP CLOSER TO THE
CENTER OF THE INVESTIGATION OF
HIS CAMPAIGN’S TIES TO RUSSIA.
JOINING ME NOW IS DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN JERROLD NADLER WHO
WILL LEAD THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE
IN THE NEXT CONGRESS.
CONGRESSMAN NADLER, WELCOME BACK
TO "MEET THE PRESS," SIR.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> BEFORE I GET TO SOME OF THE
NEWS OF THE WEEK, I WOULD LIKE
YOU TO REFLECT A MOMENT.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE THE ENDURING
LEGACY WILL BE OF PRESIDENT
BUSH?
BUSH? >> WELL, PRESIDENT BUSH WAS A
PATRIOT AND A GOOD PERSON.
I BELIEVE HIS ENDURING LEGACY IS
THAT HE MANAGED FROM THE
AMERICAN END THE DISSOLUTION OF
THE SOVIET EMPIRE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN MAJOR EMPIRES
FALL, THE MOST HEAVILY ARMED
EMPIRE IN THE WORLD AT THAT
POINT, USUALLY THERE’S WARS AND
CATACLYSMS ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
BUT I BELIEVE THE LION’S SHARE
OF THE CREDIT FOR THAT NOT
HAPPENING, FOR OUR AVOIDING
CATACLYSM IS MIKHAIL GORBACHEV
BUT A MAJOR PART GOES TO
PRESIDENT BUSH.
PRESIDENT BUSH. >> MICHAEL COHEN PLED GUILTY TO
LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE
TRUMP ORGANIZATION’S EFFORT TO
BUILD A TRUMP TOWER IN MOSCOW
BACK IN 2015, 2016.
THIS WAS HAPPENING AT THE SAME
TIME THAT DONALD TRUMP WAS
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
HERE’S WHAT A FORMER FEDERAL
PROSECUTOR, KEN WHITE, OBSERVED
IN "THE ATLANTIC" AND I’M
CURIOUS IF YOU AGREE.
THIS CONCLUSION, AT LEAST, IS
INESCAPABLE.
INESCAPABLE. THE PRESIDENT, WHO HAS FOLLOWED
THIS DRAMA OBSESSIVELY, KNEW
THAT HIS PERSONAL LAWYER WAS
LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT HIS
BUSINESS ACTIVITIES AND STOOD BY
WHILE IT HAPPENED.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT
ASSESSMENT?
ASSESSMENT? AND DOES THAT LOOK LIKE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE TO YOU?
>> WELL, I DO AGREE WITH THAT
ASSESSMENT.
ASSESSMENT. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PRESIDENT
WHO LIES INCESSANTLY TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT BIG
MATTERS AND SMALL MATTERS, WHO
SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE
WHO LIE INCESSANTLY TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE KEY FACT NOW IS THAT THE
TIME THAT HE CAN GET AWAY WITH
LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALL
THE TIME AND EVADING
ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING TO AN
END.
END. AND I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A
VERY SERIOUS MATTER.
AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE FACT
THAT HE WAS LYING TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT DOING
BUSINESS IN RUSSIA AND THAT THE
KREMLIN KNEW HE WAS LYING GAVE
THE KREMLIN A HOLD OVER HIM.
ONE QUESTION WE HAVE NOW IS DOES
THE KREMLIN STILL HAVE A HOLD
OVER HIM BECAUSE OF OTHER LIES
THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT?
>> SO THE FACT THAT THE KREMLIN
WHICH OVERNIGHT HAS CONFIRMED
THAT THERE WERE SOME E-MAILS AND
A PHONE CALL BETWEEN THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION AND THE KREMLIN,
AND WE ONLY FIND OUT ABOUT IT
NOW, YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT IS
PROOF THAT THERE MIGHT BE
LEVERAGE?
LEVERAGE? >> THERE CERTAINLY WAS LEVERAGE
DURING THAT -- DURING THE
CAMPAIGN PERIOD AND UNTIL
RECENTLY, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT
HE WAS LYING.
THEY KNEW THAT HE HAD MAJOR
BUSINESS DEALINGS OR THAT COHEN
ON HIS BEHALF HAD MAJOR BUSINESS
DEALINGS IN MOSCOW DURING THE
CAMPAIGN AND THAT HE WAS LYING
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. THERE MAY BE OTHER THINGS THAT
THEY KNOW THAT GIVE THEM
LEVERAGE.
LEVERAGE. ONE QUESTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN WHY
WAS THE PRESIDENT SO OBSEQUIOUS
TO PUTIN FROM THE BEGINNING OF
THE CAMPAIGN UP TO THE PRESENT
DAY.
DAY. IT MAY BE THAT IT’S BECAUSE THE
KREMLIN HAS LEVERAGE OVER THE
PRESIDENT, WHICH IS A TERRIBLE
THING, IF TRUE.
>> MICHAEL COHEN HAS PLED GUILTY
TO LYING.
TO LYING. WHY SHOULD HE BE BELIEVED NOW?
IF HE WAS LYING THEN, WHY DO WE
KNOW HE’S CREDIBLE NOW?
I KNOW IT’S ALWAYS TOUGH WHEN
YOU GET WITNESSES THAT FLIP, BUT
IF HE’S ASSISTING YOU IN YOUR
WORK AND THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS
DOWN THE ROAD, I ASSUME YOU HOPE
THAT HE DOES, HOW WILL YOU KNOW
IF YOU CAN TRUST HIM?
>> WELL, I THINK WE’LL KNOW A
LOT MORE WHEN WE SEE -- WHEN WE
SEE MR. MUELLER’S REPORT.
HE KNOWS A LOT MORE THAN WE DO
AT THIS POINT.
AND THE FACT THAT HE’S BEEN ABLE
TO SHOW THAT ALL THESE PEOPLE,
WHETHER IT’S MANAFORT OR GATES
OR FLYNN OR COHEN, ALL THE
PEOPLE AROUND THE PRESIDENT WERE
LYING, I ASSUME MEANS HE’S GOT
REAL DOCUMENTARY AND OTHER PROOF
OF THAT.
OF THAT. WE’LL SEE THAT IN DUE COURSE.
>> YOU HAVE OPENLY TALKED ABOUT
HOLDING UP THE GOVERNMENT
FUNDING VOTE UNTIL THE MUELLER
PROTECTION BILL IS EITHER -- A
VOTE IS HELD ON IT OR NOT.
IS THAT STILL YOUR CURRENT
STANCE?
STANCE? AND IS THAT THE STANCE YOU WANT
NANCY PELOSI AND CHUCK SCHUMER
TO TAKE?
TO TAKE? >> WELL, MY CURRENT STANCE, AND
I THINK OUR STANCE GENERALLY, IS
THAT WE MUST DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO PROTECT THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION FROM INTERFERENCE
BY THE PRESIDENT.
WE ARE DEPENDENT ON THAT
INVESTIGATION TO GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE CORRUPTION IN THE
CAMPAIGN, OF THE RUSSIAN ROLE IN
THE CAMPAIGN, IN THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, THE PRESIDENT’S ROLE
IN COLLUDING WITH THE RUSSIANS
IF HE DID.
WE KNOW HIS CAMPAIGN DID, THE
QUESTION IS DID HE PERSONALLY.
SO WE HAVE TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO PROTECT THAT INVESTIGATION.
>> VERY QUICKLY, FORMER FBI
DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY HAS BEEN
SUBPOENAED TO APPEAR BEFORE YOUR
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. RIGHT NOW YOUR RANKING MEMBER
THERE, HE’S FIGHTING THE
SUBPOENA.
SUBPOENA. HE WANTS TO DO IT -- HE WILL
VOLUNTARILY DO IT IN PUBLIC ON
THE RECORD.
THE RECORD. CHAIRMAN GOODLATTE HAS SAID HE
WOULD PROVIDE A TRANSCRIPT
WITHIN 24 HOURS, VIDEOTAPE IT
BUT NOT HAVE IT LIVE.
IS THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU?
>> NO.
>> NO. THE REPUBLICANS IN THIS
PARTICULAR INVESTIGATION HAVE A
HISTORY OF HAVING THESE IN
CAMERA INTERVIEWS AND THEN
SELECTIVELY LEAKING PORTIONS OF
THE INTERVIEW TO GIVE DISTORTED
VIEW TO THE PUBLIC OF WHAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. LET COMEY TESTIFY IN PUBLIC.
THERE’S NOTHING -- THERE’S NO
MILITARY SECRETS HERE.
HE WANTS TO TESTIFY.
HE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO.
HE OUGHT TO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY
AND OPENNESS TO THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. THERE’S NO REASON FOR THE
SECRECY THAT MR. GOODLATTE
WANTS.
WANTS. >> ALL RIGHT, CONGRESSMAN
NADLER, THE RANKING DEMOCRAT NOW