The Trump White House is panicking
as the midterm election results get worse
and the Russia investigation looms.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
♪♪
It's not unusual to see turnover
in presidential administrations after a midterm election,
but this White House has already seen
an unprecedented level of turnover
even before the elections,
and apparently there's a lot more coming.
-President Trump reportedly ready
to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
-NBC News is learning that White House Chief of Staff
John Kelly might be leaving the West Wing soon.
-Sarah Sanders, for example, has been someone
who has been there actually for quite some time
and might be headed out.
-Others rumored to be leaving
include Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
-Damn. Is there anyone left?
Trump is slowly turning the White House
into the Overlook Hotel.
Pretty soon it'll just be Trump
in a ratty bathrobe writing all over the walls.
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
You can tell -- You can tell the midterm results were way worse
for Republicans than they initially let on
from the way they're behaving.
And the more results we get from last week's midterm elections,
the clearer it is that this was in fact a massive blue wave,
even though in the immediate aftermath of the election,
Trump tried to make it sound
like all the candidates he supported won.
-We saw the candidates that I supported
achieve tremendous success last night.
-Last night was not an absolute victory for you.
-I'll be honest. I thought it was a --
I thought it was a very close to complete victory.
I think it was a great victory.
I'll be honest. I think it was a great victory.
-I love that thing Trump does where he, in real time,
talks himself into bragging about something
he knows is a failure.
It's like he's psyching himself up
to ask a girl to a school dance.
"I'm an okay-looking guy. I mean, honestly, I'm handsome.
If I'm being honest, I'm the most handsome man who ever lived.
Okay, I'm ready. Hello, cheerleader!"
[ Laughter ]
In reality, Trump intervened
in a series of races where his candidates lost.
He campaigned repeatedly in Montana
against Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who won re-election,
and he flew to Nevada
to campaign for defeated Senator Dean Heller,
where his main contribution
was coming up with a super-dumb nickname
for Jacky Rosen, Heller's Democratic opponent.
-I have to tell you. His opponent wants to raise taxes.
[ Crowd boos ]
-And take our guns! -She wants to raise taxes.
Think of it. I mean, it's ridiculous.
Should I mention her name or should I not?
Huh?
[ Crowd shouting and jeering ]
I have a great nickname for her, actually, but I'm not gonna...
[ Laughter ]
[ Crowd shouting and jeering ]
No. We shouldn't do it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
All right. I won't do it. Wacky Jacky.
-Ugh!
What a long wait for a huge disappointment.
That's like waiting for a kid to show you a dive.
"Okay.
Okay. We're all watching.
Yep! Yeah. We can see you, bud.
All right, bud, let's see it.
Any second, bud. Come on, now.
Oh, all right. Yeah.
Great dive, bud."
Although I do think if she really wanted to troll Trump,
she should totally use that as her official title.
That would make calling her Senate office a lot more fun.
-Hello. You have reached the office of Senator Wacky Jacky.
For constituent services, press 1.
For legislation, press 2.
For wacky behavior including goofs, gags, spoofs, pranks,
whimsy, wise cracks, japes, jests,
horseplay, and general tomfoolery,
press 3.
And to hear the sound of a fart, press 4.
[ Beep ]
[ Flatulence ]
-And then, of course, Trump also intervened in Arizona,
where he antagonized Republican Senator Jeff Flake
and tried to force him out of the race
by encouraging a primary challenger.
In fact, Trump even bragged
that he was the reason Flake chose to retire.
-We also had a staggering number of House retirements.
So it's a little tough.
-You said that many of the retirements that happened
in the House made it very difficult --
-Many retirements, yeah.
-That made it very difficult for you in this election cycle,
and that it was because
they were chairmanships that were vacated,
but Jeff Flake wasn't a chairman of a committee,
and Paul Ryan also retired this cycle.
So, why do you think that is? Whose fault is it that --
-In Jeff Flake's case, it's me, pure and simple.
I retired him. -Oh, my God.
He sounds like he's auditioning
for the role of a two-bit thug on "Ray Donovan."
"What happened to Three Thumbs Joey? Did he pay up?"
"Let's just say he didn't have the cash, so I retired him."
But, hey, say what you will about Trump.
When he intervenes in a race, he gets the results he wants.
So, who's the new Trump-friendly Republican
who replaced Flake in the Senate?
-An historic victory out of Arizona.
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema
prevailed over Republican Martha McSally,
making her the first Democratic senator elected by the state
in three decades.
-So Trump bragged about getting a Republican to retire,
and then that Republican was replaced by a Democrat
who is also the first openly bisexual senator.
This is a case where Trump's like a guy
who doesn't get along with his buddy's girlfriend,
so he convinces him to dump her.
And then his buddy brings his new girlfriend over for dinner,
and when Trump opens the door, it's Hillary Clinton.
"Ha ha! Hello, Donald!
It's me, Hillary, and I'm dating your new best friend!
Ha ha ha!"
So as the results get worse for Republicans,
they're getting more desperate, and they seem to be focusing
their desperation on Florida,
where governor and Senate candidate Rick Scott
has been spreading baseless conspiracy theories
about voter fraud amid a recount there
in an incredibly tight race.
And now he and his lawyers won't even say
that they'll accept the results as legitimate if he loses.
-Every Floridian should be concerned
there may be rampant fraud happening
in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.
Senator Nelson is clearly trying to commit fraud
to try to win this election.
That's all this is.
-If, after the recount, somehow --
and I know it's unlikely --
but somehow Bill Nelson were to prevail,
would Rick Scott, who is the governor right now,
certify that election?
And he wouldn't say yes.
So, you've had a night to think about it.
So is the answer this morning yes?
-Well, I'm also not going to answer whether Rick Scott's
gonna win the Heisman Trophy, because he's not.
-"And I'm also not going to answer whether Rick Scott
escaped from the Bodies exhibit, 'cause he didn't."
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
So, Republicans have been spreading lies
about nonexistent voter fraud without any evidence,
and you'll never guess who they're blaming
for that nonexistent voter fraud.
-Rudy Giuliani is pointing the blame at Hillary Clinton,
writing Hillary's lawyers trying to steal Florida election.
They are still counting or creating ballots
just in Democratic Broward and Palm Beach.
-People should be suspicious when Hillary Clinton's lawyer,
who paid for Russian information,
is involved in any election recount.
-And now they are finding votes.
And you have this guy Elias,
who represented Hillary Clinton in a lot of very shady things.
-Here's really something frightening.
The lawyer who's representing Senator Nelson,
the Democrat incumbent, his name is Marc Elias.
Does that sound familiar?
That's the same lawyer Hillary Clinton hired
to get that Russian dossier created two years ago.
-Oh, my God. They talk about Hillary Clinton
like the Crypt Keeper teeing up the next horror movie.
"Hello, boils and ghouls!
Here's a terrifying tale
that will send a shiver down your spine!
The lawyer representing Democrats in the Florida recount
worked for a firm that was previously hired by...
Hillary Clinton!"
♪♪
[ Evil laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Why? Why is Trump freaking out?
Well, he's reportedly getting nervous
because now that the elections are over,
the special counsel in the Russia investigation,
Robert Mueller, can go back to indicting people
and writing his final report.
We've heard very little from Mueller
over the past few months, leading to speculation
over what his next move might be.
-He knows that the midterm elections are over,
and he knows the quiet time that Mueller gave him
is now going to get loud.
-A lot of speculation on Robert Mueller,
who has been quiet lately.
-Mueller has been very quiet.
-This has been a quiet time for Robert Mueller.
-Because Robert Mueller has been quiet,
we should assume that he's been more busy than ever.
-If you're Donald Trump,
there's got to be nothing more terrifying
than hearing that Robert Mueller has been quiet.
This guy is a Marine.
He's probably spent the last six months
sneaking closer and closer.
At this point, he's probably in camouflage
that matches the Oval Office drapes.
[ Laughter ]
For two years, Trump has acted like a guy
who's afraid the walls are closing in,
and that was when Republicans were in charge of everything.
Now Democrats control the House, and Mueller can make news again.
Although if Mueller ever issues a public statement about Trump,
he'll probably just say... -I retired him.
-This has been "A Closer Look."