>>> WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THE HIGHEST POLL NUMBERS, I
THINK IT’S -- WELL, THEY HAVE
92% AND THEY HAVE 93%.
THE HIGHEST POLL NUMBERS EVER.
EVER.
EVER. IS THAT CRAZY?
I ACTUALLY ASKED THEM, I SAID
DID THEY DO POLLING WHEN HONEST
ABE LINCOLN WAS AROUND?
YOU KNOW,
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW WHAT, NOBODY’S BEEN
ABLE TO GIVE ME THAT ANSWER BUT
I’M ASSUMING THEY DID, OKAY.
SO WE CAN SAY WE BEAT HONEST
ABE.
ABE. >> PRESIDENT TRUMP TONIGHT
TOUTING HYPOTHETICAL POLL
NUMBERS TO HIS CHEERING
SUPPORTERS IN INDIANA.
TRUMP STEERED CLEAR OF THE
MOUNTB REPORTS THAT HIS WEST
WING IS IN CHAOS.
JUST THIS PAST WEEK SAW NEW
QUESTIONS ABOUT SESSIONS
DEPARTURE AND WRITING, THEY LOVE
TO PURPORT CHAOS IN THE WHITE
HOUSE WHEN THEY KNOW CHAOS
DOESN’T EXIST.
DOESN’T EXIST. JUST A SMOOTH RUNNING MACHINE
WITH CHANGING PARTS.
BUT TONIGHT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
IS OUT WITH NEW REPORTING THAT
SAYS WITH VACANCY ABOUNDING IN
THE WHITE HOUSE AND MORE
DEPARTURES ON THE HORIZON
THERE’S GROWING CONCERN AMONG
TRUMP ALLIES THAT THE BRAIN
DRAIN AT THE CENTER OF THE
ADMINISTRATION COULD HARDLY COME
AT A MORE PERILOUS TIME.
IT CITES THAT ADMINISTRATION
ALLIES WHO ARE EXPRESSING
CONCERNS
CONCERNS CONCERNS THAT THE WEST WING IS
SIMPLY UNPREPARED FOR THE
POTENTIAL TROUBLES AHEAD JOINING
US NOW IS WHITE HOUSE EDITOR FOR
THE L.A. TIMES D.C. BUREAU AND
ELLEN BLAKE.
ELLEN BLAKE. JACKIE, LET’S BEGIN WITH YOU.
IT’S HARD FOR SOMEEME TO BELIEVE
THE WHITE HOUSE IS UNPREPARED.
IT’S BEEN NO SURPRISE THE THINGS
THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON AND THE
LIKELIHOOD OF THE DEMOCRATS
TAKING THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER
ONLY EXAGGERATES OR AMPLIFIES
THE CHANCES OF INVESTIGATIONS
AND SUBPOENAS.
AND SUBPOENAS. WHY ARE THEY UNPREPARED?
>> WELL, THEY’RE CONSTANTLY
REACTING AS WE ARE IN OUR OWN
WAY TO THE THINGS THAT THE
PRESIDENT DOES THAT THEY WEREN’T
EXPECTING LIKE ANNOUNCING THIS
WEEK THAT DON McGAHN IS GOING TO
BE LEAVING SOON.
I MEAN THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S
EXPECTED PRIVATELY, THAT WILL
HAPPEN EVENTUALLY, BUT YOU
DIDN’T EXPECT THE PRESIDENT TO
BE ANNOUNCING IT UNBEKNOWNST TO
THEM OR DON McGAHN.
BUT IT’S JUST, THEY DON’T HAVE
THE BANDWIDTH.
THE BANDWIDTH. THEY’VE LOST A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT HAVEN’T BEEN FILLED.
THREE OF HIS TOP FIVE DEPUTIES
ARE LEAVING AND A FOURTH HAS
GONE.
GONE. YOU KNOW, IT’S -- YOU CAN’T DO
THE WORK WITHOUT PEOPLE -- THERE
ARE JUST PEOPLE THAT NEVER WERE
IN PLACE AND NOW PEOPLE ARE
LEAVING.
LEAVING. AND IT’S JUST THEY DON’T THINK
AHEAD LIKE MOST WHITE HOUSES I’M
USED TO DEALING WITH HAVE DONE.
>> IT’S STRANGE.
AARON, TO ONE DEPUTY PROBABLY
DOWN ABOUT 24 LAWYERS I THINK IS
THE NUMBER.
THE NUMBER. USUALLY THEY NEED ABOUT 30, 34
TO OPERATE DURING BILL CLINTON’S
TIME WHEN HE WAS FACING HIS
IMPEACHMENT I THINK THEY HAD UP
TO 60.
TO 60. LAST NIGHT I ASKED RICHARD
PAINTER WHAT’S THE ISSUE WHEN IT
COMES TO LAWYERS AND LISTENING
TO THEIR ADVICE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. THIS IS WHAT HE TOLD ME.
>> THE BOTTOM LINE IS DONALD
TRUMP DOESN’T WANT TO LISTEN TO
GOOD LAWYERS, GOOD LAWYERS
DOESN’T WANT TO WORK FOR HIM, HE
ENDS UP WITH PEOPLE LIKE MICHAEL
COHEN.
COHEN. IT’S BEEN A DISASTER.
I WOULD NEVER WANT TO BE DONALD
TRUMP’S LAWYER.
TRUMP’S LAWYER. I WOULDN’T WANT TO END UP GOING
TO JAIL.
TO JAIL. >> THERE’S SOMETHING TO THAT,
AARON.
AARON. BECOMING A WHITE HOUSE LAWYER IN
MOST ADMINISTRATIONS WORKING FOR
THE WHITE HOUSE IS GENERALLY
GOOD FOR YOUR RÉSUMÉ.
IN THIS ONE IT MIGHT NOT BE GOOD
FOR YOUR RÉSUMÉ OR CAREER
BECOMING HIS LAWYER.
>> IT’S REALLY REMARKABLE THE
STATE OF THE PRESIDENT’S LEGAL
TEAM, THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO
REALLY FILL IT OUT THE LAST
SEVERAL MONTHS HERE.
RUDY GIULIANI GOT ONBOARD, AND
THEY EVENTUALLY GOT EMMITT
FLOOD.
FLOOD. I THINK THE STATUS OF THE WHITE
HOUSE COUNSEL’S OFFICE IS REALLY
TELLING HERE.
TELLING HERE. THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO’S
HEADING TOWARDS WHO MANY IN HIS
ADMINISTRATION BELIEVE COULD BE
IMPEACHMENT IF THE DEMOCRATS
TAKE THE HOUSE, A PRESIDENT WHO
BELIEVES IN IT HIMSELF, WHETHER
IT HAPPENS OR NOT.
THIS IS THE ONE AREA OF THE
WHITE HOUSE YOU WOULD EXPECT
THEM TO BE ON TOP OF.
I THINK RICHARD PAINTER IS RIGHT
AS WELL, IT’S A DIFFICULT WHITE
HOUSE TO HIRE FOR.
THERE WAS A TELLING QUOTE, BY
THE WAY, "THE WASHINGTON POST"
LAST NIGHT WHERE THE PRESIDENT
ACCORDING TO ONE SOURCE WAS
TALKING ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW,
JARED KUSHNER HAS A GOOD LAWYER,
WHY CAN’T I HAVE THAT LAWYER?
DON McGAHN HAS A GOOD LAWYER,
WHY CAN’T I VATHAT LAWYER?
WELL, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET
THOSE LAWYERS IF YOU WANT TO.