WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
DON’T GO ANYWHERE, "MORNING JOE"
STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> IT DOESN’T REALLY FEEL LIKE
WEE BEING IMPEACHED.
THE COUNTRY IS DOING BETTER THAN
EVER BEFORE.
WE DID NOTHING WRONG.
AND WE HAVE TREMENDOUS SUPPORT
IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY LIKE
WE’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
NOBODY HAS EVER HAD THIS KIND OF
SUPPORT.
>> THAT WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP
GLOATING ABOUT REPUBLICAN
SUPPORT THE FIRST TIME HE WAS
IMPEACHED.
HE’S ABOUT TO BE IMPEACHED
AGAIN, AND THAT REPUBLICAN
SUPPORT IS SHOWING MAJOR SIGNS
OF SLIPPING THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO
"MORNING JOE."
IT IS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13th.
ALONG WITH JOE, WILLIE AND ME,
WE HAVE WHITE HOUSE REPORTER FOR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, JONATHAN
LA MERE.
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF AXIOS JIM
VANDEHEI AND CONSERVATIVE
LAWYER, CO-FOUNDER OF THE
LINCOLN PROJECT AND CONTRIBUTING
COLUMNIST TO "THE WASHINGTON
POST," GEORGE CONWAY JOINS US
THIS MORNING.
WELL, A LOT TO GET TO, JOE.
I THINK THE FIRST WE SHOULD
START WITH IS THAT DONALD TRUMP
IS EXPECTED TO BECOME THE FIRST
U.S. PRESIDENT TO BE IMPEACHED
TWICE AFTER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE
PENCE INFORMED AT THIS POINT THE
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI THAT
HE WOULD NOT GO FORWARD WITH THE
25th AMENDMENT TO REMOVE TRUMP
FROM OFFICE.
IN A LETTER TO SPEAKER PELOSI
JUST HOURS BEFORE THE HOUSE
PASSED A RESOLUTION URGING PENCE
TO INVOKE THE 25th, THE VICE
PRESIDENT WROTE THAT SUCH ACTION
IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF
OUR NATION AND WOULD SET A,
QUOTE, TERRIBLE PRECEDENT.
I QUESTION HIS OATH OF OFFICE AT
THIS POINT, BUT THAT IS WHAT HE
DID.
THE HOUSE CONVENES AT 9:00 A.M.
DEBATE ON THE IMPEACHMENT
RESOLUTION IS SET FOR 12:30.
THE VOTE WILL BE AROUND 3:00
P.M. TODAY.
JUST ONE HOUSE REPUBLICAN,
ILLINOIS ADAM KINZINGER VOTED IN
SUPPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
INVOKING THE 25th AMENDMENT,
HOWEVER, THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE
REPUBLICANS, INCLUDING KINZINGER
WHO HAVE COME OUT IN SUPPORT OF
TODAY’S VOTE TO IMPEACH
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
LIZ CHENEY, THE NUMBER THREE
REPUBLICAN IN THE HOUSE, ALONG
WITH FRED UPTON, JOHN CATKO AND
JAY MAY HERRERA WILL ALL VOTE TO
IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS DO NOT
PLAN TO ENCOURAGE REPUBLICAN
MEMBERS TO VOTE AGAINST
IMPEACHMENT.
A CHANGE FROM THE FIRST
IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT.
THE WHITE HOUSE BELIEVES THAT BY
THE TIME THE HOUSE VOTES THIS
AFTERNOON, THERE WILL BE TWO
DOZEN REPUBLICANS WHO WILL
ULTIMATELY COME OUT IN SUPPORT
OF IMPEACHING TRUMP.
ON THE SENATE SIDE, "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" IS REPORTING THAT
MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL
HAS TOLD ASSOCIATES THAT HE
BELIEVES PRESIDENT TRUMP
COMMITTED IMPEACHABLE OFFENSES.
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH HIS
THINKING TELL THE TIMES THAT
McCONNELL IS PLEASED THAT
DEMOCRATS ARE MOVING TO IMPEACH
TRUMP, BELIEVING THAT IT WILL
MAKE IT EASIER TO FINALLY PURGE
HIM FROM THE PARTY.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" JONATHAN
MARTIN, WHO CO-AUTHORED THAT
REPORT TWEETED YESTERDAY THAT A
SENATE REPUBLICAN AIDE SAID HE
THINKS THERE WERE ABOUT 20
REPUBLICANS, GIVE OR TAKE, WHO
ARE OPEN TO A CONVICTION AND
THAT WAS BEFORE PUBLISHING THE
PIECE ON MITCH McCONNELL.
SOURCES TELL AXIOS THAT THERE’S
A BETTER THAN 50/50 CHANCE THAT
McCONNELL HIMSELF WILL VOTE TO
CONVICT TRUMP IN AN IMPEACHMENT
TRIAL.
A TOP REPUBLICAN CLOSE TO
McCONNELL SAID, QUOTE, THE
SENATE INSTITUTIONAL LOYALISTS
ARE FOMENTING A
COUNTERREVOLUTION TO DONALD
TRUMP.
>> GEORGE CONWAY, A LOT TO
DIGEST THERE.
AS A FORMER REPUBLICAN, A
CONSERVATIVE, LIZ CHENEY, MITCH
McCONNELL, MANY OTHERS
CONSIDERING VOTING TO IMPEACH
DONALD TRUMP WHILE DONALD TRUMP
GOES TO ALAMO, TEXAS, JUST TO
MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS LOST
ON HIS SUPPORTERS, WHAT HE
THINKS THEY SHOULD BE DOING IN
THESE FINAL DAYS OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
AND REFUSES TO ACCEPT ANY
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
INSURRECTION AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT THAT HE
INSPIRED LAST WEEK.
WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW WITH
DONALD TRUMP IN THESE FINAL
DAYS?
>> IT REMINDS ME A LOT, FRANKLY,
OF AUGUST 1974, AFTER THE
SUPREME COURT ORDERED NIXON TO
PRODUCE THE TAPES AND AFTER THE
SMOKING GUN TAPE CAME OUT.
I MEAN, HE’S -- HIS SUPPORT IS
COLLAPSING.
THE WAY WE SAW NIXON’S SUPPORT
COLLAPSE IN A MATTER OF DAYS
BACK THEN.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE’S
GOING TO BE -- NO MATTER WHETHER
OR NOT HE GETS REMOVED BEFORE
HIS TERM OF OFFICE ENDS OR NOT,
HE’S LEAVING IN COMPLETE
DISGRACE, AS NIXON DID.
BUT THERE’S GOING TO BE A BIG
DIFFERENCE.
NIXON -- I DON’T KNOW IF YOU
REMEMBER, I MEAN, YOU WERE THE
SAME AGE AS I, I REMEMBER
WATCHING WHAT HAPPENED WHEN
NIXON LEFT, AUGUST 9, 1974, AND
WATCHING ALL MORNING.
AND YOU SAW SOME CONTRITION.
YOU SAW SOME REGRET.
YOU SAW SOME SADNESS AND SORROW
FOR A MAN WHO ACTUALLY DID
UNLIKE DONALD TRUMP LOVE HIS
COUNTRY AND WANT TO DO RIGHT BY
THE COUNTRY EVEN THOUGH HE MADE
SOME SERIOUS MISTAKES AND BROKE
SOME MAJOR LAWS.
YOU DON’T SEE THAT WITH TRUMP.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU’RE NOT
GOING TO SEE IS ANY SYMPATHY FOR
DONALD TRUMP THE WAY THERE WAS
SOME SYMPATHY FOR NIXON WHEN HE
LEFT WASHINGTON AS A BROKEN MAN.
THIS MAN, DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE
HE’S A PSYCHOPATH, A MAN WHO CAN
GLOAT AND WATCH IN GLEE AS THE
CAPITOL WAS RANSACKED AND
ATTACKED AND AS PEOPLE’S LIVES
WERE THREATENED, THIS PSYCHOPATH
IS NEVER GOING TO HAVE -- HE’S
GOING TO BE PARIAH FOR THE REST
OF HIS LIFE.
AND THERE MAY BE SOME
REPUBLICANS WHO STILL SUPPORT
HIM NOW, BUT THOSE REPUBLICANS
ARE THE REPUBLICANS, IF YOU CAN
CALL THEM THAT OR CALL THEM
CONSERVATIVES AT ALL, WHO SEEK
SOME KIND OF AN AUTHORITARIAN
LEADER WHO IS ALL POWERFUL AND
HE’S LEAVING IN ABSOLUTE
WEAKNESS.
HE CAN’T EVEN TWEET AT US THIS
MORNING.
>> CAN’T TWEET AT US.
CAN’T UPLOAD A YOUTUBE VIDEO.