WE’VE GOT OUR NBC NEWS TEAM HERE WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND
MONDAY’S BIGGEST STORIES THIS
HOUR.
HOUR. GARRETT HAAKE IS ON CAPITOL HILL
AND HANS NICHOLS IS OVER AT THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. >> DAY AFTER DAY WE’VE SEEN YOU
CHASING DOWN VARIOUS
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WALKING
IN TO SPEAK WITH LAWMAKERS HERE.
THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
TODAY BECAUSE THESE FOUR MEN
AREN’T GOING TO SHOW?
>> Reporter: THAT’S THE
UNDERSTANDING.
UNDERSTANDING. TWO OF THEM RECEIVED SUBPOENAS
OVERNIGHT.
OVERNIGHT. AT LEAST I SUSPECT WE’LL FIND
OUT BY THE END OF THE DAY THAT
ALL FOUR RECEIVED SUBPOENAS, AND
NONE ARE COMING.
TWO LAWYERS FOR THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL, ONE OMB
OFFICIAL, ONE TOP AID TO MICK
MULVANEY, ALL THUMBING THEIR
NOSE AT CONGRESS HERE TODAY.
THAT MIGHT BECOME A THEME THIS
WEEK AS YOU LOOK AHEAD TO THE
OTHER DEPOSITIONS WE’RE
EXPECTING TO GET LATER THIS
WEEK, INCLUDING ENERGY SECRETARY
RICK PERRY, JOHN BOLTON, WHO
SAID HE WON’T SHOW UNLESS HE HAS
TO.
TO. AND A COUPLE OTHER OFFICIALS WHO
DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO
GET IN UNDER THE WIRE, IF YOU
WILL.
WILL. THIS SHOULD BE THE LAST WEEK OF
CLOSED-DOOR DEPOSITIONS.
CLOSED-DOOR DEPOSITIONS. THAT’S WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN
SAYING OVER THE WEEKEND.
WE EXPECT TO START SEEING
TRANSCRIPTS RELEASED FROM THE
PREVIOUS DEPOSITIONS AS EARLY AS
TODAY.
TODAY. AND IRONICALLY FOR REPUBLICANS,
WHO HAVE WANTED TO SEE THIS
PROCESS GET OPENED UP, THAT’S
NOT SITTING VERY WELL BECAUSE
THEY STILL WANT TO HEAR FROM THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER HIMSELF.
WHISTLE-BLOWER HIMSELF. HERE IS JIM JORDAN THIS MORNING
TALKING TO REPORTERS ABOUT WHY
HE NEEDS TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.
>> THIS IS THE GUY THAT STARTED
IT ALL.
IT ALL. WE THINK HE SHOULD SIT IN FRONT
OF US UNDER OATH, ANSWER OUR
QUESTIONS, AND DO THAT IN
PERSON.
PERSON. >> Reporter: PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
BEEN HAMMERING THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER ON TWITTER OVER
THE WEEKEND.
THE WEEKEND. I ASKED MARK MEADOWS IF THERE
WAS ANY GOOD FAITH REASON WHY
THE WHISTLE-BLOWER NEEDS TO SHOW
UP IN PERSON AS OPPOSED TO
ANSWER WRITTEN QUESTIONS,
WHETHER THIS IS JUST AN EFFORT
TO FIND THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S
IDENTITY AND TRY TO DISCREDIT
THEM.
THEM. MEADOWS’ ARGUMENT WAS WRITTEN
QUESTIONS, WHEN THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER’S ATTORNEY HAS
SUGGESTED THEY WOULD BE AMENABLE
TO, WOULD PROBABLY JUST GET
ANSWERED BY THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S
LAWYER AND REPUBLICANS WANT TO
HEAR THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S WORDS
FROM HIS OR HER OWN MOUTH.
BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW IT DOESN’T
LOOK LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO GET
THAT OPPORTUNITY, AT LEAST IN
THE CLOSED DOOR DEPOSITIONS THIS
WEEK.
WEEK. >> AND ONE OF THEM COULD HAVE
BEEN REALLY INTERESTING.
I WANT TO GO TO HANS NICHOLS
NOW.
NOW. ONE OF THEM WAS THE NATIONAL
SECURITY LAWYER, JOHN EISEN
BERG, WHO ACCORDING TO A SOURCE
FAMILIAR WITH TESTIMONY,
INSTRUCTED A KEY WITNESS TO STAY
QUIET ABOUT CONCERNS ABOUT THAT
PHONE CALL BETWEEN PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND THE UKRAINIAN LEADER.
TALK US THROUGH THE WHITE HOUSE
RESPONSE THIS MORNING, HANS.
>> Reporter: SO THOSE WERE
SERIOUS CONCERNS THAT ALEX
VINDMAN HAD ABOUT WHAT HE
THOUGHT WAS A RESTRICTION ON
HIM, HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT
POLICY.
POLICY. GARRETT JUST HINTED AT THE FACT
THAT THERE MIGHT NOT BE ANY
TESTIMONY FOR THE REST OF THE
WEEK, ANY PRIVATE DEPOSITIONS.
THE CURRENT WHITE HOUSE THINKING
ON THIS IS THAT THAT’S HOW IT’S
GOING TO HOLD.
AND I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR
A COUPLE OF REASONS.
>> WAIT A SECOND, HANS.
THAT INCLUDES JOHN BOLTON?
>> Reporter: CORRECT, THE
CURRENT THINKING -- AND THIS
COULD CHANGE BUT I WAS JUST
SPEAKING TO AN OFFICIAL HERE.
A CURRENT THING IS THAT BOLTON
LIKELY WILL NOT TESTIFY.
BUT WHAT THAT DOES IS IT
BASICALLY FREEZES THE FACTS
BEFORE WE GO INTO I GUESS TWO
WEEKS TIME TO THE PUBLIC PHASE
OF THIS, WHAT WE KNOW, WHAT WE
HAVE ARE THE DEPOSITIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP TO THIS
POINT.
POINT. THAT’S FIONA HILL, GORDON
SONDLAND, THAT IS ALEX VINDMAN
AND TIM MORRISON, SOME OF THOSE
WILL BE RELEASED PUBLICLY AND
THEN YOU’LL MOVE TO THE PUBLIC
PHASE OF THIS.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT
WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS BOTH
SAYING, WHAT HE HAS SAID AND
WHAT HE’S DONE.
AND AS YOU’RE POINTING OUT, HE’S
VERY CLEAR ON THIS, THAT HE
WANTS TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER, AT THE SAME TIME
THERE ARE CLEAR WHISTLE-BLOWER
PROTECTIONS.
PROTECTIONS. AND HALLIE, YOU REMEMBER THREE,
FOUR WEEKS AGO WHEN YOU ASKED
THE PRESIDENT IF THEY WANTED TO
FIND OUT WHO THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER’S IDENTITY IS AND
THE PRESIDENT ALMOST SEEMED TO
HINT THAT THEY WANTED IT OUT AT
THAT STAGE.
THAT STAGE. NOW, HE’S COME BACK A LITTLE BIT
ON THAT.
ON THAT. HE JUST SAYS HE WANTS TO HEAR
FROM HIM.
FROM HIM. BUT ON THE CRUCIAL QUESTION,
DOES THE PRESIDENT KNOW WHO THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER IS, AND HOW
CONVINCED IS HE THAT THIS PERSON
IS A NEVER TRUMPER, HE’S BEEN
HINTING NOW FOR SOME TIME.
THAT MAY BECOME CLEAR WHEN WE