THIS TUESDAY NIGHT. >>> WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE
AGAIN FROM OUR NBC NEWS
HEADQUARTERS HERE IN NEW YORK.
DAY 1,062 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION ON THIS, THE EVE
OF THE HOUSE VOTE TO IMPEACH
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. THE HOUSE WILL START DEBATE IN
THE MORNING AND AT THE END OF
THE DAY WILL VOTE ON TWO
ARTICLES, ABUSE OF POWER AND
OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS.
TONIGHT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND
WASHINGTON POST BOTH REPORT THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE THE VOTES.
ALL REPUBLICANS ARE EXPECTED TO
VOTE AS A BLOCK AGAINST BOTH
ARTICLES.
ARTICLES. TODAY THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE
MET TO SET THE TERMS FOR
TOMORROW’S FLOOR SESSION,
CALLING FOR SIX HOURS OF DEBATE
ON THE ARTICLES.
NO AMENDMENTS CAN BE OFFERED.
EARLIER TODAY, THE PRESIDENT WAS
ASKED ABOUT THE SITUATION HE
FINDS HIMSELF IN.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, DO YOU TAKE
ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FACT
THAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO BE
IMPEACHED?
IMPEACHED? >> NO, I DON’T TAKE ANY -- ZERO,
TO PUT IT MILDLY.
>> TODAY TRUMP ALSO WROTE A
LETTER, SIX PAGES, TO SPEAKER
PELOSI, ATTACKING HER,
CONDEMNING HER CAUCUS FOR
CARRYING OUT THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY.
INQUIRY. FOR EXAMPLE, HE WRITES, QUOTE,
YOU HAVE CHEAPENED THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE VERY UGLY WORD
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. YOU ARE OFFENDING AMERICANS OF
FAITH BY CONTINUALLY SAYING, I
PRAY FOR THE PRESIDENT, WHEN YOU
KNOW THIS STATEMENT IS NOT TRUE.
YOU ARE THE ONES INTERFERING IN
AMERICA’S ELECTIONS.
AMERICA’S ELECTIONS. YOU ARE THE ONES SUBVERTING
AMERICA’S DEMOCRACY.
AMERICA’S DEMOCRACY. YOU ARE THE ONES OBSTRUCTING
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. MORE DUE PROCESS WAS AFFORDED TO
THOSE ACCUSED IN THE SALEM WITCH
TRIALS.
TRIALS. A WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL TELLS NBC
NEWS THE PRESIDENT CAME UP WITH
THE IDEA FOR THE LETTER, AND
THEN RELIED ON AIDES TO DRAFT IT
WHILE DIRECTING THE PROCESS.
THE OFFICIAL ADDS THE COUNSEL’S
OFFICE DID SUGGEST SOME CHANGES.
SOME WERE MADE, OTHERS REJECTED.
TO BE CLEAR, IN PART, BECAUSE IT
CONTAINED SO MANY ERRORS AND
MISSTATEMENTS, IT IS AMG NOT
REGARDED AS A SERIOUS DOCUMENT.
JOHN DEAN CALLED IT PATHETIC.
DAVID GERGEN WHO SERVED FOUR
U.S. PRESIDENTS SAID IT READS
LIKE A TWO-BIT DICTATOR.
LATE TODAY, THE SPEAKER WAS
ASKED ABOUT THE DOCUMENT.
>> YOUR REACTION TO THE
PRESIDENT’S LETTER?
PRESIDENT’S LETTER? >> NO REACTION.
IT’S RIDICULOUS.
IT’S RIDICULOUS. >> YOU HAVE NO REACTION?
WHY NOT?
WHY NOT? >> I HAVEN’T FULLY READ IT.
I’VE SEEN THE ESSENCE OF IT,
IT’S REALLY SICK.
>> TONIGHT PRESIDENT TRUMP
CAMPAIGN IS USING LANGUAGE
SIMILAR TO THE LETTER TO PELOSI
IN A FUND-RAISING EMAIL TO
SUPPORTERS.
SUPPORTERS. UNDER THE SUBJECT LINE
"IMPEACHMENT WAR" IT READS, BY
PROCEEDING WITH AN INVALID
IMPEACHMENT, DEMOCRATS ARE
VIOLATING THEIR OATHS OF OFFICE,
BREAKING THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO THE
CONSTITUTION AND DECLARING OPEN
WAR ON AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
>>> AS THE HOUSE PREPARES FOR
TOMORROW’S IMPEACHMENT VOTE, THE
SENATE IS GETTING READY TO HOLD
THE PRESIDENT’S TRIAL, EXPECTED
IN EARLY JANUARY.
THIS MORNING THE MAJORITY LEADER
McCONNELL RESPONDED TO THE
MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER’S
PROPOSAL FOR SENATORS TO
SUBPOENA DOCUMENTS AND CALL
WITNESSES FORWARD, INCLUDING
WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF MICK
MULVANEY, FORMER NATIONAL
SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON.
McCONNELL, WHO HAS ALREADY
CONFIRMED HE’S COORDINATING WITH
THE WHITE HOUSE ON THE
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, MADE IT CLEAR
HE HAD NO INTEREST IN THIS IDEA.
>> THE SENATE IS MEANT TO ACT AS
JUDGE AND JURY, TO HEAR A TRIAL,
NOT TO RERUN THE ENTIRE FACT
FINDING INVESTIGATION BECAUSE
ANGRY PARTISANS RUSHED SLOPPILY
THROUGH IT.
THROUGH IT. IT’S NOT THE SENATE’S JOB TO
LEAP INTO THE BREACH AND SEARCH
DESPERATELY FOR WAYS TO GET TO
GUILTY.
GUILTY. THAT WOULD HARDLY BE IMPARTIAL
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. >> McCONNELL WILL, INDEED, SERVE
AS ONE OF 100 JURORS AT THE
SENATE TRIAL, WHICH IS WHY HE
SAID THIS FOR MAXIMUM SHOP
VALUE.
VALUE. >> I’M NOT AN IMPARTIAL JUROR.
THIS IS A POLITICAL PROCESS.
THERE’S NOT ANYTHING JUDICIAL
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. IMPEACHMENT IS A POLITICAL
DECISION.
DECISION. >> AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THE
PRESIDENT POINTED TO McCONNELL’S
COMMENTS AS A SIGN OF REPUBLICAN
UNITY.
UNITY. >> I BELIEVE THE SENATE IS
EQUALLY AS WELL UNITED.
I WATCHED MITCH McCONNELL THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. I WATCHED NUMEROUS PEOPLE LAST
NIGHT, SENATORS, AND I THINK
WE’RE EQUALLY WELL UNITED.
THEY KNOW IT’S A HOAX, IT’S A
WITCH-HUNT.
WITCH-HUNT. >> JUST THIS VERY EVENING ON
THIS NETWORK, THE MINORITY
LEADER SCHUMER SIGNALLED DEBATE
OVER THE SENATE TRIAL IS FAR
FROM OVER HERE.
AND HE MADE CLEAR HE HAS
STRATEGY AT HIS DISPOSAL STILL.
>> NEITHER PRESIDENT PRESIDENT
TRUMP NOR MITCH McCONNELL WANTS
TO HEAR FROM THESE WITNESSES
BECAUSE THEY’RE AFRAID OF THE
TRUTH.
TRUTH. THEY DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE
TRUTH BECAUSE IT WILL
PROBABLY -- WE DON’T KNOW, BUT
PROBABLY PUT PRESIDENT TRUMP IN
AN EVEN DEEPER HOLE.
I’M ALLOWED TO ASK FOR VOTES.
I WILL ASK DURING THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDING FOR A
VOTE ON WHETHER MULVANEY SHOULD
TESTIFY AND WHETHER BOLTON
SHOULD TESTIFY.
SHOULD TESTIFY. AND MANY OF MY REPUBLICAN
COLLEAGUES WILL BE IN A REAL
DILEMMA.
DILEMMA. >> THERE IS A NEW WASHINGTON
POST/ABC NEWS POLL THAT’S GOT A
LOT OF HEADLINES TODAY BECAUSE
IT FINDS 71% OF THOSE SURVEYED
DO WANT THE PRESIDENT TO LET HIS
AIDES TESTIFY.
AIDES TESTIFY. 64% OF REPUBLICANS QUESTIONED IN
THIS POLL SAID THEY AGREE.
TRUMP’S TELEVISION LAWYER RUDY
GIULIANI IS BACK IN THE NEWS.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYS RUDY
ALERTED THE PRESIDENT A COUPLE
OF TIMES ABOUT HOW FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO THE UKRAINE MARIE
YOVANOVITCH IN HIS VIEW BLOCKED
INVESTIGATIONS THAT HE BELIEVED
COULD BE OF USE TO TRUMP
POLITICALLY.