IN THE WAKE OF HIS LOSS.
LET’S GO STRAIGHT TO NBC’S
MONICA ALBA OUTSIDE THE WHITE
HOUSE.
GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU.
WE JUST LEARNED ABOUT THIS A
COUPLE MINUTES AGO.
IN A TWEET FROM THE PRESIDENT,
TAKE US THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW.
AND OUR COLLEAGUE CAROL LEE HAD
REPORTED THAT ESPER HAD PERHAPS
BEFORE THE ELECTION, OR AROUND
THE TIME OF ELECTION NIGHT, HAD
DRAFTED A RESIGNATION LETTER
ALREADY IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS.
>> YEAH.
INCREDIBLE REPORTING BY MY
COLLEAGUES WHO HAD BEEN
DOCUMENTING THE PRESIDENT’S
DISPLEASURE WITH SECRETARY ESPER
FOR MONTHS.
WE’VE SEEN IT AIRED PUBLICLY AND
PRIVATELY ACCORDING TO
REPORTING.
AND THREE DEFENSE OFFICIALS HAD
TOLD THEM THAT INDEED SECRETARY
ESPER HAD DRAFTED THIS LETTER
BEFORE LAST WEEK, BEFORE THE
ELECTION, KNOWING THIS COULD BE
THE POTENTIAL OUTCOME, AND THAT
THE PRESIDENT AS ONE OF HIS
FIRST ACTS IF HE HAD LOST, OR
EVEN IF HE POTENTIALLY WON
RE-ELECTION, WOULD HAVE MOVED TO
GET RID OF SOME CABINET
OFFICIALS WHOM HE HAD CLASH WITH
AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST,
ACCORDING TO THE TWEET THAT
WE’RE NOW JUST SEEING, IT
APPEARS TO BE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE MARK ESPER.
NOW WE UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT
MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS IS
THE FACT THAT SECRETARY ESPER
WOULD HAVE MAYBE RENAMED OR MADE
IT EASIER TO RENAME SOME OF THE
MILITARY BASES.
SOMETHING THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS
VERY MUCH AGAINST AND HAD MADE
THAT VERY WELL KNOWN.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, HE KNEW HE
WAS MAYBE GOING TO BE A TARGET.
BUT REALLY, KASIE, IT SHOWS YOU
THIS IS THE PRESSES’S FIRST ACT
IN A POST JOE BIDEN AS THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT WORLD.
RIGHT?
THIS IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL
BUSINESS THAT WE SEE HIM DOING.
AND SOMETHING THAT REMINDS POEM,
HE IS STILL THE CURRENT OCCUPANT
OF 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
BEHIND ME AND CAN DO ALL THESE
THINGS.
ESPECIALLY AS A LAME DUCK
PRESIDENT OVER THE NEXT 70 DAYS
OR SO.
AND WE CAN EXPECT WE’RE TOLD BY
WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, THERE
WILL LIKELY BE MORE OF THIS
ACTION TO COME IN THE COMING
WEEKS.
WHAT STANDS OUT HERE IS THAT WE
HAVEN’T SEEN THE PRESIDENT DO
ANY PUBLIC EVENTS OVER THE LAST
FOUR DAYS APART FROM GOLFING AT
HIS GOLF COURSE IN VIRGINIA OVER
THE WEEKEND.
SO THIS IS WHITE HOUSE SIGNALING
TO US THAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOW
BACK IN THE OVAL OFFICE HAVING
THESE MEETINGS, DOING THINGS A
LITTLE MORE NORMAL AS OPPOSED TO
THE LAST FEW DAYS, ALL WE HEARD
WAS ALL THESE BASELESS CLAIMS ON
TWITTER.
TODAY FIRING HIS DEFENSE
SECRETARY AND REPLACING HIM WITH
SOMEONE ELSE.
PROBABLY A PREVIEW OF WHAT WE’RE
LIKELY TO SEE IN THE COMING
DAYS.
>> MONICA, I IMAGINE A LOT OF
AMERICANS ARE LOOKING AT THIS
AND WONDERING, YOU KNOW, HE LOST
THE ELECTION.
HE IS GOING TO BE LEAVING THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHY IS THE COUNTRY BETTER OFF
WITHOUT A CONFIRMED DEFENSE
SECRETARY IN POLICE THAN THEY
WOULD BE WITH ONE?
DESPITE THIS?
IT IS ONLY A FOUND MONTHS LEFT
OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.
ARE WE LOOKING AT HIS
PERSONALITY COMING TO BEAR ON
GOVERNMENT?
>> WE’RE ABOUT TO REPORT THIS
OUT MORE.
IT STRIKES ME THIS IS AN
EXECUTIVE WHO WANTS TO REMIND
PEOPLE THAT HE IS STILL THE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND CAN MAKE
THESE DECISIONS.
FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS HE’S BEEN
MOSTLY SITTING BY THE
GUIDELINES, COMPLAINING, AIRING
HIS GRIEVANCES, BELIEVING THIS
ELECTION WAS SOMEHOW STOLEN FROM
HIM.
MAKING CLAIMS THAT VOTER FRAUD
ARE COMPLETELY NOT BACKED BY ANY
EVIDENCE.
THERE HAS BEEN NO WIDESPREAD
VOTER FRAUD.
WE CAN’T SAY THAT ENOUGH.
HE IS A PRESIDENT ON HIS HEELS.
AND WHO IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,
AS HE IS GOING TO BE LEAVING THE
WHITE HOUSE, I THINK MANY AIDES
AROUND HIM WOULD SAY, HE MAY BE
THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO GO OUT
WITHOUT A FIGHT.
THIS MAY BE WHERE WE SEE OTHER
NAKSS OTHER AREAS AS THE
PRESIDENT TO ME WHAT THIS
SIGNALS IS HIM ACCEPTING THE
REALITY NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN A MORE CONCRETE WAY THAT HE
IS GOING TO BE LEAVING
WASHINGTON AND THE WHITE HOUSE.
SO HE’S TRYING TO MAKE THESE