GETS UNDER WAY ON THIS FRIDAY NIGHT.
NIGHT. AND GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN FROM
OUR NBC NEWS HEADQUARTERS HERE
IN NEW YORK.
DAY 1,086 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, AND 298 DAYS TO
GO UNTIL THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION. AT THE VERY TOP OF OUR BROADCAST
HERE TONIGHT, WE WANT TO PAUSE
RIGHT QUICK FOR SOME BREAKING
NEWS THAT CAME OUT ABOUT 17
MINUTES BEFORE WE CAME ON THE
AIR TONIGHT, AND IT IS THIS.
IRAN HAS ADMITTED TO SHOOTING
DOWN THE UKRAINIAN PASSENGER JET
THE NIGHT OF THE MISSILE ATTACK
WITH 176 INNOCENT SOULS ON
BOARD.
BOARD. IT WAS BELIEVED THAT AS SOON AS
THE AVIATION WORLD GOT ITS HANDS
ON THE ACTUAL EVIDENCE, THE
WRECKAGE, THE BLACK BOXES,
IRAN’S STORY WOULDN’T HOLD UP.
THEN JUST YESTERDAY, THAT VIDEO,
DAMNING VIDEO CAME OUT APPEARING
TO SHOW A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE
HITTING ITS TARGET OVER TEHRAN.
THEY ARE CALLING IT
UNINTENTIONAL.
UNINTENTIONAL. THEY ARE CALLING IT HUMAN ERROR,
BUT THIS IS A MAJOR RUBICON
TONIGHT AND A MOMENT WE SHOULD
NOTE.
NOTE. WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT LATER ON
WITH ONE OF OUR GUESTS FROM THE
REGION.
REGION. >>> MEANWHILE, IN THINGS
DOMESTIC, IT APPEARS TONIGHT
THAT WE HAVE PASSED SOMETHING OF
A MARKER IN THIS COUNTRY,
MEANING WE ARE LOOKING AT THE
START OF AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
TODAY HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
TOLD HER FELLOW DEMOCRATS IN A
LETTER THAT SHE HAS, QUOTE,
ASKED JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN JERRY NADLER TO BE
PREPARED TO BRING TO THE FLOOR
NEXT WEEK A RESOLUTION TO
APPOINT MANAGERS AND TRANSMIT
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT TO THE
SENATE.
SENATE. AS YOU KNOW, THIS COMES 23 DAYS
NOW AFTER THE HOUSE ACTUALLY
IMPEACHED THE PRESIDENT,
EFFECTIVELY ENDING THE STANDOFF
BETWEEN THE SPEAKER AND MITCH
McCONNELL.
McCONNELL. TRUMP’S REACTION CAME IN THIS
INTERVIEW WITH FOX NEWS.
>> I THINK IT’S RIDICULOUS.
SHE SHOULD HAVE SENT THEM A LONG
TIME AGO.
TIME AGO. IT -- IT JUST -- IT BELITTLES
THE PROCESS.
THE PROCESS. NANCY PELOSI WILL GO DOWN AS
PROBABLY THE LEAST SUCCESSFUL
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN THE
HISTORY OF OUR NATION.
>> THE PRESIDENT WITH LAURA
INGRAHAM FROM EARLIER TODAY.
PELOSI’S DECISION MEANS THE
TRIAL COULD GET UNDER WAY
SOMETIME NEXT WEEK BUT WE’LL
ALSO BE DISCUSSING THIS WITH ONE
OF OUR GUESTS TONIGHT.
THESE THINGS START SLOWLY AT
FIRST.
FIRST. AND THIS FINDS THE PRESIDENT
PRESENTLY CAUGHT UP IN THE
GROWING CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE
SHIFTING JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE
DRONE STRIKE AGAINST THE IRANIAN
GENERAL SOLEIMANI.
GENERAL SOLEIMANI. HERE IS SOME OF WHAT WE HAVE
HEARD FROM THE PRESIDENT AND HIS
PEOPLE JUST YESTERDAY.
>> WE HAD VERY GOOD INTELLIGENCE
THAT THERE WAS AN IMMINENT
ATTACK BEING PLANNED.
>> BUT TIME AND PLACE?
>> IT WAS IMMINENT.
YOU NEVER KNOW THE TIME AND
PLACE OF THESE THINGS WITH
PERFECT PARTICULARITY, BUT WE
HAD VERY GOOD INFORMATION THAT
THERE WERE IMMINENT ATTACKS.
>> THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THERE
WERE A SERIES OF IMMINENT
ATTACKS THAT WERE BEING PLOTTED
BY QASSEM SOLEIMANI.
>> SOLEIMANI WAS ACTIVELY
PLANNING NEW ATTACKS, AND HE WAS
LOOKING VERY SERIOUSLY AT OUR
EMBASSIES AND NOT JUST THE
EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD.
>> THEN THIS MORNING SECRETARY
POMPEO WAS BACK BEFORE REPORTERS
WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
ACCOUNT.
ACCOUNT. >> WE HAD SPECIFIC INFORMATION
ON AN IMMINENT THREAT, AND THAT
THREAT STREAM INCLUDED ATTACKS
ON U.S. EMBASSIES, PERIOD, FULL
STOP.
STOP. >> SO YOU WERE MISTAKEN WHEN YOU
SAID YOU DIDN’T KNOW PRECISELY
WHEN AND YOU DIDN’T KNOW
PRECISELY --
PRECISELY -- >> NOPE.
>> NOPE. COMPLETELY TRUE.
COMPLETELY TRUE. THOSE ARE COMPLETELY CONSISTENT
THOUGHTS.
THOUGHTS. >> WHY CAN YOU SAY THAT HERE AND
THE PRESIDENT CAN SAY IT AT A
RALLY IN TOLEDO, BUT NO ONE SAID
IT TO LAWMAKERS BEHIND CLOSED
WARS IN A CLASSIFIED SETTING AS
MULTIPLE SENATORS HAVE SINCE
SAID?
SAID? >> WE DID.
>> SO THE SENATORS ARE LYING --
>> WE TOLD THEM ABOUT THE
IMMINENT THREAT, ALL OF THE
INTELLIGENCE THAT WE’VE BRIEFED,
THAT YOU’VE HEARD TODAY, I
ASSURE YOU IN AN UNCLASSIFIED
SETTING WE’VE PROVIDED IN THE
CLASSIFIED SETTING AS WELL.
>> TO BE CLEAR, YOU TOLD THEM
EMBASSIES WERE BE TARGETED?
THAT WAS THE IMMINENT THREAT?
>> I’M NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT
THE DETAILS OF WHAT WE SHARED IN
THE CLASSIFIED SETTING.
>> SO THAT’S HOW THAT WENT.
NOT LONG AFTER THAT, TRUMP
DIVULGED MORE INFORMATION TO FOX
NEWS.
NEWS. >> DON’T THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT
SPECIFICALLY WAS TARGETED
WITHOUT REVEALING METHODS AND
SOURCES?
SOURCES? >> WELL, I DON’T THINK SO, BUT
WE WILL TELL YOU THAT PROBABLY
IT WAS GOING TO BE THE EMBASSY
IN BAGHDAD.
IN BAGHDAD. I CAN REVEAL THAT I BELIEVE IT
WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUR EMBASSIES.
>> LAWMAKERS WHO WERE IN THE
ADMINISTRATION’S CLASSIFIED
ADMINISTRATION’S CLASSIFIED BRIEFING EARLIER THIS WEEK SAID
THIS WAS NEWS TO THEM.
>> THERE IS NOTHING THAT
SUBSTANTIATES THAT CLAIM EITHER
THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE
PRESIDENT OR THE SECRETARY OF
STATE OR SECRETARY OF DEFENSE,
EITHER PUBLICLY OR IN OUR
BRIEFING.
BRIEFING. >> THERE HAS BEEN THIS EVOLVING
CONTRADICTORY SET OF STORIES
WHICH, AGAIN, SPEAKS TO NOT ONLY
THE NEED FOR US TO HAVE A FULL
BRIEFING, BUT IT SPEAKS TO THE
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A
FULL-FLEDGED DISCUSSION AND
DEBATE ABOUT THE WAR POWERS ACT.
>> MEANWHILE, IMPORTANTLY "THE
WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS A
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL
AND A SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL AS
SAYING, QUOTE, THEY WERE ONLY
AWARE OF VAGUE INTELLIGENCE
ABOUT A PLOT AGAINST THE EMBASSY
IN BAGHDAD AND THAT THE
INFORMATION DID NOT SUGGEST A
FULLY FORMED PLOT.
NEITHER OFFICIAL SAID THERE WERE
THREATS AGAINST MULTIPLE
EMBASSIES.
EMBASSIES. THE DEFENSE OFFICIAL ADDED THERE
WAS CONCERN THAT THERE MIGHT BE
AN ATTEMPT TO PLACE A BOMB AT
THE BAGHDAD EMBASSY, A HEAVILY
FORTIFIED STRUCTURE, IN A SECURE
AREA OF THE IRAQI CAPITAL.
THE POFT ALSO SAYS THE U.S.
TRIED AND FAILED TO TAKE OUT
ANOTHER IRANIAN MILITARY
COMMANDER, THIS ONE IN YEMEN,
THAT THE ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE
TOOK PLACE ON THE SAME DAY AS
THE SOLEIMANI KILLING.
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS IMPOSED
NEW PENALTIES ON IRAN, TODAY
OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCING NEW
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS TARGETING
EXPORTS AND EIGHT SEPARATE
IRANIAN OFFICIALS.
IRANIAN OFFICIALS. "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" HAS
NEW REPORTING ABOUT HOW TRUMP’S
NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM HANDLED
THE ORIGINAL DECISION TO CARRY
OUT THE STRIKE ON SOLEIMANI AS
WELL AS ON THE PRESIDENT’S
THINKING.
THINKING. ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF THIS
PIECE, MICHAEL BENDER, IS
STANDING BY TO JOIN US IN JUST A
MOMENT.
MOMENT. HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES REPORT,
QUOTE, MR. TRUMP, AFTER THE
STRIKE, TOLD ASSOCIATES HE WAS
UNDER PRESSURE TO DEAL WITH
GENERAL SOLEIMANI FROM GOP
SENATORS HE VIEWS AS IMPORTANT
SUPPORTERS IN HIS COMING
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IN THE SENATE.
CALLING TO MIND SOMETHING TRUMP
SAID ABOUT OBAMA, THIS WAS BACK
IN 2011.
IN 2011. >> OUR PRESIDENT WILL START A
WAR WITH IRAN BECAUSE HE HAS
ABSOLUTELY NO ABILITY TO
NEGOTIATE.
NEGOTIATE. HE’S WEAK, AND HE’S INEFFECTIVE.
SO THE ONLY WAY HE FIGURES THAT
HE’S GOING TO GET RE-ELECTED AND
AS SURE AS YOU’RE SITTING THERE
IS TO START A WAR WITH IRAN.
>> AND BECAUSE OF THE ADAGE THAT
THERE’S ALWAYS A TWEET, IT HAS
PROVEN TRUE IN THIS CASE.
IN ORDER TO GET ELECTED, BARACK
OBAMA WILL START A WAR WITH
IRAN, BACK IN 2011.
IT’S BEEN AN EVENTFUL WEEK TO
SAY THE LEAST, AND THE ANXIETY
WAS PLAINLY EVIDENT ACROSS THE
POLITICAL SPECTRUM.
POLITICAL SPECTRUM. >> NANCY PELOSI DOES IT AGAIN
AND HER DEMOCRATS FALL RIGHT IN
LINE.
LINE. ONE, THEY’RE IN LOVE WITH
TERRORISTS.
TERRORISTS. WE SEE THAT.
THEY MOURN SOLEIMANI MORE THAN
THEY MOURN OUR GOLD STAR
FAMILIES WHO ARE THE ONES WHO
SUFFERED UNDER SOLEIMANI.
THAT’S A PROBLEM.
>> SO THE RANKING REPUBLICAN ON
THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE THERE,
CONGRESSMAN DOUG COLLINS, HAS
SINCE WALKED THAT BACK TODAY,
SAYING, QUOTE, I DO NOT BELIEVE
DEMOCRATS ARE IN LOVE WITH