>>> HE’S NOT MY KIND OF GUY BECAUSE HE WENT TO VIETNAM?
HE GOT SHOT DOWN AND WASN’T TO
HELL AS A PRISONER?
THAT’S NOT YOUR KIND OF GUY?
WHO IS YOUR KIND OF GUY, FRIENDS
WHO FALSIFIED RECORDS SO THEY
DIDN’T HAVE TO GO?
I THINK THAT’S THE ANSWER.
I THINK HE SEES ALL OF US WHO
WENT TO VIETNAM AS FOOLS.
WE WERE THE SUCKERS.
WE WERE THE STUPID ONES.
WE WERE THE ONES WHO DIDN’T HAVE
RESOURCES TO GET OUT OF THE
DRAFT.
DRAFT. HE HAD RESOURCES AND GET OUT OF
IT.
IT. SHOW US YOUR BONE SPURS.
LET’S SEE THOSE X-RAYS.
>> ADD TRUMP’S X-RAYS NEXT TO
THE TAX RETURNS TO THE LIST OF
THINGS PUBLIC WANTS TO SEE,
POWERFUL REBUKE FROM BOB KERREY,
VIETNAM VETERAN HIMSELF.
AND WHILE RESPONSES FROM SITTING
REPUBLICAN EELECTED OFFICIALS IS
NOT BEEN AS SCATHING, TRUMP MAY
BE ON AN ISLAND, EVEN WITHIN HIS
OWN ADMINISTRATION.
OWN ADMINISTRATION. POLITICO -- FOR THE MOST PART
DON’T WANT TO TOUCH THIS WITH A
TEN-FOOT POLE.
TEN-FOOT POLE. A CURRENT SENIOR WHITE HOUSE
OFFICIAL SAID WHITE HOUSE AIDES
ARE MAKING AN EFFORT NOT TO
DISCUSS IT IN POLITE COMPANY.
ANOTHER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL,
BEMOANED THE TAWDRY DISTRACTION.
IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A GOOD
WASTE OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT A
DEAD MAN OR FORMER EMPLOYEE OF
THE WHITE HOUSE.
I OFFERED A THEORY.
WHAT’S YOURS?
WHAT’S YOURS? JOHN COSTA, WHY ARE THEY DOING
THIS?
THIS? >> THERE ARE ALL OF THOSE
EXAMPLES OF REPUBLICANS GENTLY
WALKING AWAY FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S COMMENTS.
TRUMP’S COMMENTS. BASED IN MY REPORTING TODAY, THE
REALITY IS QUITE DIFFERENT.
SURE, IS THERE GRUMBLING ABOUT
THE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS?
YES.
YES. THERE’S ALSO WID PREVENT
ACCEPTANCE.
ACCEPTANCE. IF YOU TURN ON FOX NEWS OR GO TO
DIFFERENT OUTLETS AND TWITTER ON
CONSERVATIVE PERSONALITIES,
CONSERVATIVE PERSONALITIES, THEY’RE SAYING PRESIDENT TRUMP
HAS A POINT AND THE REPUBLICAN
LEADERSHIP IN THEIR STATEMENT
ARE NOT CALLING OUT THE
PRESIDENT BY NAME, ONLY PRAISING
SENATOR McCAIN.
SENATOR McCAIN. IT UNDERSCORED THE PRESIDENT’S
CONTINUED POWER IN THIS PARTY.
>> BE ROT BERT COSTA, IT’S
MADDENING FOR PEOPLE WITH SOULS
AND CONSCIOUSES BUT WHATENCES, B
REALITY CHECK WHEN THE PRESIDENT
DID WHAT HE DID YESTERDAY.
>> IS ANYONE STEPPING UP TO
CHALLENGE HIM IN A REPUBLICAN
PRIMARY IN 2020?
HE LOST THE ROOM BECAUSE SOME
PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY WERE
UNSETTLED, SILENT.
UNSETTLED, SILENT. SOME DIVORCES, TOP REPUBLICAN
OFFICIALS, SAY THE PRESIDENT IS
SOMEONE WHO’S SO POPULAR AND HAS
THE BASE IN HIS HANDS, THEY
DON’T SEE ANY POLITICAL COST FOR
HIM AT THIS MOMENT WITHIN HIS
OWN PARTY AND IN A GENERAL
ELECTION, HE HAS SUCH A
BASE-CENTRIC STRATEGY, HE MAY
ALARM GENERAL ELECTION VOTERS
BUT HE OBTAINS THAT REPUBLICAN
BASE.
BASE. >> JUST SO SORT OF ADD ANOTHER
PROOF POINT TO WHAT BOB COSTAS
IS REPORTING, HERE’S THE
PRESIDENT A FEW MOMENTS AGO IN
AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIA BART
ROMA.
ROMA. >> HE SAID HE CAN’T PUNCH BACK.
I KNOW YOU PUNCH BACK.
BUT HE’S DEAD.
>> I DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.
I JUST ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
I DIDN’T BRING IT UP.
YOU BROUGHT IT UP.
>> YOU TALKED ABOUT IT THIS
WEEK.
WEEK. >> WHEN I WENT OUT YESTERDAY TO
THE SCRUM, THEY ASKED ME THE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. WHEN THEY ASK ME THE QUESTION, I
ANSWER THE QUESTION.
YOU PEOPLE BRING IT UP.
I’M NOT A FAN.
HE WAS HORRIBLE WHAT HE DID WITH
REPEAL AND REPLACE.
WHAT HE DID TO THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY AND TO THE NATION AND TO
SICK PEOPLE THAT COULD HAVE HAD
GREAT HEALTH CARE WAS NOT GOOD.
SO I’M NOT A FAN OF JOHN McCAIN
AND THAT’S FINE.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. HE’S SO PRETTY, SMALL AND
SHALLOW.
SHALLOW. HE CAN’T LET IT GO.
IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM.
YESTERDAY WHEN HE WAS IN OHIO,
HE DID BRING IT UP.
HE BROUGHT IT UP ON HIS OWN AND
WENT FOR FIVE MINUTES TALKING TO
JOHN McCAIN.
JOHN McCAIN. >> WE GOT THAT.
LET’S WATCH THAT AGAIN.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING,
BECAUSE THEY LOVE ME AND THEY
ASK ME ABOUT A MAN NAMED JOHN
McCAIN, AND IF YOU WANT, I CAN
TELL YOU ABOUT -- SHOULD I OR
NOT?
NOT? YES?
YES? YES?
YES? >> THEY ASK ME BECAUSE THEY LOVE
ME.
ME. IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM.
EVERY TIME.
EVERY TIME. AND JOHN McCAIN WHAT, DIED SEVEN
MONTHS AGO.
MONTHS AGO. HE’S NOT HERE TO DEFEND HIMSELF,
LIKE SHE WAS SAYING.
YOU’RE PUNCHING DOWN ON SOMEONE
WHO PASSED AWAY.
AND THE MESSAGE HE’S SENDING TO
VETERANS IS THAT YOUR SERVICE
DOESN’T MATTER, IT DOESN’T
MATTER IF YOU’RE A WAR HERO.
AND HE’S THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
I THINK IT SHOWS HE’S NOT FIT TO
BE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
>> ROBERT COSTA, WHAT ABOUT SORT
OF THE COMPENDIUM OF QUESTIONS
THIS BATTLE WITH THE DECEASED
AMERICAN HERO AND NOW
FIVE-DAY-LONG WAR WITH GEORGE
CONWAY, THE HUSBAND OF ONE OF
HIS MOST SENIOR ADVISERS, ARE
REUPPING QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS
MENTAL COMPETENCE, ANY CONCERNS
ABOUT THAT?
ABOUT THAT? >> MR. CONWAY HAS RAISED THOSE
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. WE’VE SEEN IN POLITICS, I’M
ALWAYS CAREFUL AS A REPORTER, TO
RAISE THOSE SORTS OF QUESTIONS
BECAUSE I’M NOT A MEDICAL
PROFESSIONAL, AND WE SAW IN 1964
WITH BARRY GOLDWATER’S CAMPAIGN,
THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL
FITNESS HAVE BEEN PART OF OUR
POLITICS FOR A LONG TIME.
REPUBLICANS THOUGH WHO ARE NOT
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, THEY DO
WONDER ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S
CONDUCT AND THEY WONDER IS THIS
A PRESIDENT WHO COULD BE
CONTROLLED AT ALL, CAN HE BE
GUIDED IN ANY WAY?
THERE’S REALLY A MEEKNESS, I
PERCEIVE, IN MY CONVERSATIONS
WITH REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS.
THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN
HIS BEHAVIOR.
HIS BEHAVIOR. THEY DON’T IF ANYTHING THEY SAY
WILL GUIDE HIM TOWARDS THE
CENTER OR MAINSTREAM AND THEY
FEEL HE’S SO POPULAR, THEY WILL
GET DRAGGED ALONG WITH HIM TO
THE RIPTIDE, HOWEVER IT WINDS UP
>> IT’S SO INTERESTING, WHEN BOB
CORKER WAS IN THE SENATE, HE
MADE AN EFFORT TO RAISE THIS
ISSUE.
ISSUE. HE HELD A HEARING TO TRY TO
LIMIT THE NUCLEAR AUTHORITY AND
POWERS OF THE AMERICAN
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. HE TALKED ABOUT THE WHITE
HOUSE’S ADULT DAY CARE.
HE QUESTIONED DONALD TRUMP’S
FITNESS AND CAPACITY TO SERVE.
BUT AS ROBERT COSTA IS SAYING,
THE POLITICAL REALITY KEPT
OTHERS FROM SEEING THE SAME
THING, FROM SAYING THE SAME
THING.
THING. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
LOOK, THERE’S SOME FRUSTRATION
IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND ON HIS
BURGEONING RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
TEAM THAT HE WENT TO OHIO
YESTERDAY, WHERE THE EARL ZWRAJS
OF THE RE-ELECTION, OHIO IS A
KEY STATE FOR HIM.
HIS EVENTS TAP THE ECONOMY AND
THE SUPPORT FOR THE MILITARY,
BUT ALL OF THE HEADLINES ARE
JOHN McCAIN.
JOHN McCAIN. THERE IS CONSTERNATION IN THE
BUILDING ABOUT THAT.
BUT THERE IS, AS BOB SAID,
NOTHING GOING TO CHANGE.
HE’S EXACTLY THE SAME GUY WHO
CAME DOWN THE ESCALATOR IN TRUMP
TOWER IN JUNE 2015 AND HONESTLY
THE SAME GUY FOR YEARS AND YEARS
BEFORE THAT PERPETUATED
BIRTHERISM AND SO ON.
HE’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE OR GROW
IN THE MOMENT.
HE MIGHT BE ON GOOD BEHAVIOR FOR
A COUPLE OF WEEKS, WHICH HE WAS
IN THE FINAL FORTNIGHT OF THE
2014 CAMPAIGN, HE MOMENTS
ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
UNTIL THERE WAS SOME SORT OF
REAL UPRISING FROM THE
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, IT’S HARD
TO SUGGEST HE WOULD TAKE THAT
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE. YES, RIGHT NOW WE STILL HAVE --
IT’S NOT BOB CORKER ANYMORE BUT
WE HAVE MITT ROMNEY, WE HAVE A
FEW SENATORS WHO ARE WILLING TO
SPEAK OUT ON CERTAIN ISSUES,
MORE FOREIGN POLICY THAN
DOMESTIC ISSUES BUT THE BASE IS
STILL ENTHRALLED WITH THIS
PRESIDENT AND THE REPUBLICANS
THERE ARE NOT WILLING TO
THREATEN HIM FOR FEAR OF LOSING
THEM.
THEM. >> ROBERT COSTA, THE WAY THIS
HAS SORT OF HURT THE PRESIDENT
IS THE INSIDER ACCOUNT, THE
ANONYMOUS OP-ED IN "THE NEW YORK
TIMES," THE DETAILS PROVIDED TO
BOB WOODWARD AND YOUR LEAGUE IN
HIS BOOK "FEAR: FIRE AND FURY,"
THE WAY THESE MANIFEST
THEMSELVES, BOB WOODWARD SAID
THE TRUTH EMERGES.
THEY ARE SORT OF DUE FOR ANOTHER
KIND OF INSIDE HIT.
ANY CONCERNS PEOPLE INSIDE
DISAPPROVE OF THIS CONDUCT?
>> THERE’S ALWAYS PEOPLE INSIDE
WHO VOICE DISAPPROVAL, YET LET’S
BE REAL, THEY STILL CHOOSE TO
WORK THERE, WHETHER IT’S ON THE
CAMPAIGN OR INSIDE THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. SO PRIVATE COMPLAINTS REALLY
ONLY GO SO FAR IN ANY REALM OF
LIFE.
LIFE. YOU EITHER CHOOSE TO BE THERE OR
YOU CHOOSE TO GO, DEPENDING ON
SOMEONE’S CONDUCT.
SOMEONE’S CONDUCT. WHAT I DO SEE AS A REAL CONCERN,
NICOLLE, ABOUT POSSIBLE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE FINDINGS
BY BE ROT MUELLER, THAT REPORT
IS ON THE HORIZON.
THEY THINK THE FIGHT WITH GEORGE
CONWAY, THE FIGHTS WITH THE LATE
SENATOR McCAIN, THOSE ARE
DISTRACTIONS.
DISTRACTIONS. THE REAL CONDUCT THEY’RE WORRIED
ABOUT IS WHATEVER MR. MUELLER
MAY HAVE FOUND.
>> TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT, IS
THAT BASED ON PUBLIC REPORTING,
ABOUT FORMER WHITE HOUSE DON
McGAHN SPENDING MORE 30 HOURS,
IS THAT BASED ON ANY INDICATION
THEY HAVE FROM THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHAT WILL BE IN
THIS REPORT?
THIS REPORT? >> IT’S BASED ON THEIR
CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS,
FORMER OFFICIALS, WHO HAVE BEEN
WITNESSES, WHO HAVE BEEN
INTERVIEWED BY ROBERT MUELLER
AND HIS TEAM.
THAT’S THEIR ONLY WINDOW INTO
THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION,
TALKING PRIVATELY TO THE LAWYERS
WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE
CONVERSATIONS MUELLER’S HAD WITH
DIFFERENT WITNESSES AND THEY’VE
PIECED TOGETHER A PORTRAIT OF
THIS MUELLER TEAM THAT’S
CERTAINLY INTERESTED IN HOW THE
PRESIDENT HAS HANDLED THE
INVESTIGATION FROM THE START IN
2017.
2017. THERE ARE LESS CONCERNS WHETHER
IT’S RIGHT OR NOT, ABOUT
POSSIBLE RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
AND COLLUSION FINDINGS BY MR.
MUELLER.
MUELLER. THE PRESIDENT’S ACTIONS WITH THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AT THE TIME,
JEFF SESSIONS, HIS TWEETS ABOUT
ROBERT MUELLER, THE DIFFERENT
EXCHANGES HE’S HAD PRIVATELY.