>> TRUMP’S PERRY MASON MOMENT. LET’S PLAY "HARDBALL."
>> I’M CHRIS MATTHEWS IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. A STUNNING ADMISSION.
THE PRESIDENT TOLD ABC NEWS HE
HAS NO PROBLEM ACCEPTING DIRT
FROM A FOREIGN POWER.
HE DENIED THAT FOREIGN HELP
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ELECTION
INTERFERENCE.
INTERFERENCE. LISTEN TO THIS.
>> YOUR CAMPAIGN THIS TIME
AROUND, IF FOREIGNERS, RUSSIA OR
CHINA OR SOMEONE ELSE OFFERS YOU
INFORMATION, SHOULD THEY ACCEPT
IT OR CALL THE FBI.
>> I THINK MAYBE YOU DO BOTH.
I THINK YOU WANT TO LISTEN.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH
LISTENING.
LISTENING. IF SOMEBODY CALLED FROM A
COUNTRY, NORWAY, WE HAVE
INFORMATION ON YOUR OPPONENT.
OH, I THINK I WANT TO HEAR IT.
>> YOU WANT THAT INTERFERENCE IN
OUR ELECTIONS?
OUR ELECTIONS? >> IT’S NOT INTERFERENCE.
IT’S INFORMATION.
IT’S INFORMATION. PHI THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING
WRONG, I WOULD GO MAYBE TO THE
FBI IF I THOUGHT THERE WAS
SOMETHING WRONG, BUT IF THEY
COME UP WITH RESEARCH, LET’S
CALL THE FBI, THEY DON’T HAVE
ENOUGH AGENTS TO TAKE CARE OF
IT.
IT. YOU TALK HONESTLY TO CONGRESS
MEN, THEY ALL DO IT AND ALWAYS
HAVE.
HAVE. IT’S CALLED OPPO RESEARCH.
>> TWO YEARS OF THE MUELLER
REPORT AND NOW WE HAVE THE
PRESIDENT’S MOTIVE.
PRESIDENT’S MOTIVE. THERE IS NONG WRONG WITH TAKING
DIRT FROM THE RUSSIANS.
IT’S A SHOCKING STATEMENT FROM A
PRESIDENT WHO WON WITH HELP FROM
MOSCOW IN 2016 AND SIGNALS TO
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE
WORLD THAT HIS 2020 CAMPAIGN IS
OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
I’M JOINED BY THE NATIONAL
SECURITY REPORTER FROM NBC NEWS
AND JASON JOHNS AND A POLITICAL
EDITOR AT THE ROOT AND
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST.
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST. I WILL START WITH KEN.
THIS IS THE POLITICS.
HE ADMITTED THERE IS NOTHING
WRONG WITH WHAT HE HAS BEEN
INVESTIGATED FOR TWO YEARS,
PLAYING FOOTSIE WITH THE
RUSSIANS.
RUSSIANS. >> IT’S SO DIFFERENT.
REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT.
IT’S OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM.
STEPH NOPANOPOULOS SAID HE CALLE
THE FBI.
THE FBI. TRUMP IS BLOWING IT ALL UP AND
SENDING A SIGNAL TO THE CHINESE
AND THE RUSSIANS AND ANYONE WHO
WANT TO INTERFERE, IT’S OPEN
SEASON.
SEASON. HACK, INVESTIGATE, USE
INTELLIGENCE METHODS TO GET
INCRIMINATING INFORMATION AND
HAND IT TO DONALD TRUMP.
>> WHEN I HEARD THE PRESIDENT
SAY THAT AND GREAT WORK BY
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS AND
NOTHING WRONG WITH TAKING DIRT
FROM A FOREIGN POWER, I THOUGHT
THAT’S WHY HIS LAWYERS WOULDN’T
LET HIM GIVE LIVE TESTIMONY.
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID THIS
CHARACTER WOULD JUST DO A PERRY
MASON AND SAY ALL RIGHT, I DID
IT.
IT. >> NOT JUST A FOREIGN POWER, BUT
THE ADVERSARY FOR THE LAST 50
YEARS.
YEARS. HERE’S THE PROBLEM WHY AUTO NOT
A PERRY MASON MOMENT.
WHAT HAPPENS?
WHAT HAPPENS? NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> YOU MAKE A POINT.
>> WHAT HAPPENS?
NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH
IT.
IT. >> ON SOME LEVEL WE KNOW HE IS A
COMPLETELY SELFISH PERSON AND
THE ONLY THING HE CARES ABOUT IS
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. IF HE THINKS IT HELPS HIS
ELECTION, TAKE IT.
>> YOU UNDERSTAND POLITICS AS A
BIG PICTURE.
BIG PICTURE. HE NEVER DID ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
HE ON AIR FORCE ONE CONCOCTED
WITH HOPE HICKS SITTING THERE
THIS CRAZY STORY.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ADOPTING
RUSSIAN KIDS WHEN IN FACT HIS
SON TOLD HIM APPARENTLY HE WAS
IN THERE GETTING DIRT ON HILLARY
CLINTON.
CLINTON. >> WE ALWAYS KNEW HE WAS LYING.
>> OF COURSE I WAS LYING.
>> THE O.J. THING.
HERE’S HOW I WOULD DO IT.
OKAY, I DID IT.
YOU GOT ME.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW MANY
REPUBLICANS TAKE THE JUSTIN
AMASH STANDPOINT.
AMASH STANDPOINT. THIS MAY BE A THIS IS IT MOMENT.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT SAID I WILL
TAKE INFORMATION.
TAKE INFORMATION. >> DO YOU THINK THE REPUBLICANS
WILL CRACK?
WILL CRACK? I WILL ARGUE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN
WAITING ARE IN GUY.
GEORGE IS STANDING NEXT TO ME AT
A WEIRD ANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON
HIM AND HE IS LOOKING UP
SIDEWAYS LIKE HE DOESN’T WANT TO
CONFRONT HIM AND SAID YEAH,
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?
SO WHAT?
SO WHAT? LIKE STREET TALK.
>> THE PRESIDENT HAS PROVEN HE
HAS NO RESPECT FOR THE OFFICE HE
HOLDS AND NO LOYALTY.
>> HOW ABOUT CRIMINAL DEFENSE?
>> NO LOYALTY TO THE COUNTRY.
HE IS A TRAITOR TO THE PILLARS
OF OUR DEMOCRACY AND THE FACT
THAT THERE ARE NOT REPUBLICANS
LEGAL TO STAND UP TO THEM, I
DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WILL BE
DOING WHEN DONALD TRUMP GETS
KICKED OUT IN 2020 AND PEOPLE
ARE LOOKING AT THEM WITH
DISDAIN.
DISDAIN. I HOPE THEY DO.
>> WE FOCUSSED ON THIS PROGRAM
AND MANY OTHER PROGRAMS LIKE
NIGHTLY NEWS AND EVERYONE ELSE,
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS
TRUMP’S MOTIVE?
TRUMP’S MOTIVE? DID HE KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING?
WAS HE KNOWINGLY INVOLVED IN
GETTING DIRT FROM THE RUSSIANS?
WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT
HILLARY.
HILLARY. HACKING INTO THE DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND JOHN
PODESTA AND EVERYBODY.
ALL THAT DIRT.
WE KNOW THE BIG THREE PARTS TO
IT.
IT. EVERYTHING THEY WERE DOING.
NOW HE ADMITS NOTHING WRONG WITH
THAT.
THAT. A LOT OF RUSSIANS WERE HELPING
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. >> ROBERT MUELLER FOUND THEY
WERE TOO DISORGANIZED TO HAVE A
REAL EXPERIENCE.
REAL EXPERIENCE. IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT MORALS AND
ETHICS.
ETHICS. TRUMP WAS WILLING TO DO THAT.
THE RUSSIANS DIDN’T NEED TO
CONSPIRE
CONSPIRE CONSPIRE.
CONSPIRE. THEY WERE POWERURING OUT THE
E-MAILS THEY WERE USING THEM.
THERE IS TROLLING GOING ON.
HE KNOWS THIS WILL DRIVE PEOPLE
CRAZY.
CRAZY. >> COME ON.
NO, NO.
NO, NO. WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE HOW THIS
CRACKS.
CRACKS. THIS IS NOT PART OF AN ELONGATED
CIRCULAR GAME DELAY.
>> HE JUST DOESN’T CARE.
>> HE THINKS HE’S FINE.
>> THAT’S HIS GENIUS.
>> HE KNOWS THE DEMOCRATS ARE
TOO COWARDLY TO TO DO ANYTHING.
>> HIS BASE WILL EAT IT UP.
>> HE WAS ASKED ABOUT THE
QUESTION TO YOUR SON.
HE IS DOING WHAT MOST PEOPLE DID
TO DEFEND THE FAMILY.
THE SON WENT TO TRUMP TOWER AND
THE SON MET IN THAT INTERVIEW
AND HE EXPRESSED AND EXPLAINED
WHY HIS SON, DONALD TRUMP, JR.,
DID NOT ALERT THE FBI AND HE
RECEIVED OFFERS OF RUSSIAN DIRT
ON HILLARY CLINTON.
HERE HE GOES.
>> SHOULD HE HAVE GONE TO THE
FBI?
FBI? >> PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION.
YOU ARE A CONGRESSMAN AND
SOMEBODY SAID HEY, I HAVE
INFORMATION ON YOUR OPPONENT.
DO YOU CALL THE FBI?
I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THINGS IN
MY LIFE.
MY LIFE. I DON’T THINK IN MY LIFE I EVER
CALLED THE FBI.
IN MY WHOLE LIFE.
YOU DON’T CALL THE FBI.
YOU THROW SOMEBODY OUT OF YOUR
OFFICE.
OFFICE. >> AL GORE GOT A STOLEN BRIEFING
BOOK AND HE CALLED THE FBI.
>> THAT’S DIFFERENT.
THIS IS INFORMATION ON YOUR
OPPONENT.
OPPONENT. LET ME CALL THE FBI.
GIVE ME A BREAK.
>> THE FBI SAID THAT’S WHAT
SHOULD HAPPEN.
SHOULD HAPPEN. >> THE FBI DIRECTOR IS WRONG.
>> HERE CLEARLY SAID NOT FBI AND
USE THE DIRT, BUT JUST USE THE
DIRT.
DIRT. GIVE ME A BREAK.
>> THAT’S WHAT HE WILL DO IN THE
FUTURE AND WHAT HE HAS DONE.
IT’S OPEN SEASON.
NOW THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO WE
DO WITH THE INFORMATION?
>> HE’S GOING TO WAR WITH HIS
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE. THE FBI DIRECTOR IS WRONG AND
YESTERDAY HE REPUDIATED THE CIA