WHISTLE-BLOWER. LET’S PLAY HARDBALL.
GOOD EVENING I’M STEVE KORNACKI
IN FOR CHRIS MATTHEWS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP CAPPED HIS
HOLIDAY WEEK WITH A BARRAGE OF
TWITTER ATTACKS ON HOUSE SPEAKER
NANCY PELOSI.
NANCY PELOSI. HE HAS TWEETED OR RETWEETED
SEVLT DOZEN TIMES SINCE THURSDAY
TAKING SWIPES AT SPEAKER PELOSI
AND HER DISTRICT AND BLASTING
HOUSE DEMOCRATS OVER
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. BUT LAST NIGHT TRUMP ALSO
RETWEETED A POST BY HIS
RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN’S, QUOTE,
WAR ROOM LINKING AN ARTICLE THAT
NAMED THE ALLEGED WHISTLE-BLOWER
WHOSE COMPLAINT ULTIMATELY LED
TO IMPEACHMENT.
TO IMPEACHMENT. IT HAS BEEN NINE DAYS NOW SINCE
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
VOTED TO PASS ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. SPEAKER PELOSI CONTINUES TO HOLD
ONTO THOSE ARTICLES UNTIL SENATE
MAJORITY LEADER McCONNELL
NEGOTIATES THE TERMS OF A SENATE
TRIAL.
TRIAL. BUT PRESSURE IS ALREADY MOUNTING
ON REPUBLICAN SENATORS WHO ARE
UNDECIDED ON IMPEACHMENT AND
PROCEDURAL QUESTIONS.
PROCEDURAL QUESTIONS. IN PARTICULAR MAINE SENATOR
SUSAN COLLINS WHO’S BEING
TARGETED BY REPUBLICAN GROUPS
CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP.
INCLUDING THE LINCOLN PROJECT,
THAT’S A SUPER PAC FUNDED BY
REPUBLICAN CRITICS OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT TRUMP DID HIS PART TO
TRY TO CURRY FAVOR WITH COLLINS
WITH AN ENDORSEMENT OF HER 2020
RE-ELECTION EARLIER THIS WEEK.
IN A STATEMENT SENATOR COLLINS
TOLD A PORTLAND NEWSPAPER,
QUOTE, I TAKE SERIOUSLY THE OATH
I WILL SWEAR TO RENLDER
IMPARTIAL JUSTICE IN THE
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL. THREATS FROM BOTH THE LEFT AND
RIGHT WILL HAVE ZERO INFLUENCE
ON MY DECISIONS.
FOR MORE I’M JOINED BY SHANNON
PETTYPIECE.
PETTYPIECE. AND JENNIFER HORN, CO-FOUNDER OF
THE LINCOLN PROJECT AND FORMER
CHAIR OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING
WITH US.
WITH US. SHANNON, LET ME START WITH YOU.
WE MENTIONED THE PRESIDENT’S
TWITTER ACTIVITY, QUITE A BIT OF
IT IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
VERY AGGRESSIVE HERE
PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO
HIS POSTURE TOWARDS NANCY
PELOSI.
PELOSI. IN TERMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE’S
STRATEGY TOWARDS IMPEACHMENT AND
THAT STALEMATE BETWEEN THE HOUSE
AND SENATE RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS
THE PRESIDENT TRYING TOCHIEVE AC
HERE?
HERE? >> HE’S CERTAINLY TRYING TO MAKE
A VILLAIN OUT OF PELOSI.
THE PRESIDENT IS USUALLY
STRONGEST WHEN HE HAS A STRONG
ADVERSARY ON THE OTHER SIDE.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT 2016 HAVING
HILLARY CLINTON A VERY
UNFAVORABLE CANDIDATE ACCORDING
TO ALL THE POLLS ON THE OPPOSITE
TICKET REALLY HELPED DRIVE OUT A
LOT OF VOTERS FOR HIM.
NOT SO MUCH A VOTE FOR HIM BUT A
VOTE AGAINST CLINTON.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOCRATS
RIGHT NOW THEY DON’T HAVE THAT
UNFAVORABILITY RATING YOU SAW
WITH CLINTON.
WITH CLINTON. HE’S TRYING TO PAINT THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY AS A WHOLE AND
FIND THE SORT OF VILLAINS
QUOTE-UNQUOTE HE CAN PICK OUT
WHETHER IT’S NANCY PELOSI OR AOC
OR THE SQUAD AND TAKE THEM AND
USE THEM AS A SORT OF CARICATURE
OR PORTRAIT HE WANTS TO PAINT OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AS A WHOLE
IN 20202.
IN 20202. IF THEY’RE NOT GOING TO CAST A
VOTE FOR HIM BECAUSE THEY DON’T
LIKE HEM OR DOEMT LIKE HAZE
BEHAVIOR AS PRESIDENT, THEY’RE
GOING TO SHOW UP BECAUSE THEY
WANT TO CAST A VOTE AGAINST
NANCY PELOSI OR THE SQUAD OR
WHATEVER PROGRESSIVE ELEMENTS OF
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HE FINDS.
I DON’T KNOW IF THAT HAS BECOME
EFFECTIVE YET BECAUSE IT SEEMS
IT’S ONLY MAKING HER STRONGER.
>> WE MENTIONED THIS RETWEET THE
PRESIDENT DID LAST NIGHT AS SORT
OF PART OF THIS BARRAGE,
SOMETHING THAT INCLUDED
ALLEGEDLY THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S
NAME.
NAME. I KNOW YOU DO QUITE A BIT OF
WORK THERE INVOLVING
WHISTLE-BLOWERS.
WHISTLE-BLOWERS. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT
RETWEET FROM THE PRESIDENT?
>> BLUNTLY I THINK THAT RETWEET
IS WHOLLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
THIS IS REPORTEDLY A CIA
EMPLOYEE WHO HAS BLOWN THE
WHISTLE ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES WHO IS CURRENTLY
SUFFERING DEATH THREATS.
AND WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE WORD
THREATS THEIR EYE IS ROLLED BACK
INTO THEIR HEADS, BUT REALLY
THIS PERSON’S LIFE CAN BE IN
DANGER.
DANGER. THEY’RE UNDER FEDERAL PROTECTION
RIGHT NOW, AND ONCE AGAIN DONALD
TRUMP DOES NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN
THE IDENTITY OF THE
WHISTLE-BLOWER.
WHISTLE-BLOWER. THE WHISTLE-BLOWER’S LEGAL
COUNSEL HAVE COME OUT AND SAID
THIS PERSON THAT THE TRUMP TWEET
MENTIONED MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE
ACTUAL WHISTLE-BLOWER, BUT