EXCLUSIVE: Collins “to Confirm” Pompeo as Sec. of State But Still Has “a Lot of Questions to Ask” Haspel
EXCLUSIVE: WH Legislative Director Short: “As Far as I Know, The President Has No Intention of Firing” Rosenstein or Mueller
EXCLUSIVE: Short on North Korea: The Administration Has “Cautious Optimism”
PLUS: DNC Chair Perez on Lawsuit: “It’s Hard to Put a Price Tag on Preserving Democracy”
APRIL 22, 2018 – In an exclusive interview this morning on “Meet the Press,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), referring to former FBI Director James Comey’s book tour, told moderator Chuck Todd that Comey “should have waited to do his memoir,” adding: “I cannot imagine why an FBI director would seek to essentially cash in on a book when the investigation is very much alive.”
“I am going to vote to confirm” Mike Pompeo as the next Secretary of State, the Maine senator said but added that she hasn’t made a decision yet on President Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel: “We still have a lot of questions to ask of her.” Watch the full interview.
Marc Short, legislative affairs director for the White House, also joined the program exclusively, telling Todd: “As far as I know, the president has no intention of firing” Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein or Special Counsel Mueller but “you don’t know how far off this investigation is going to veer.”
We “have cautious optimism” about North Korea, said Short. “We’re going to keep up maximum pressure. We’re not going to stop that until they denuclearize.” Watch the full interview.
Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, addressed the DNC lawsuit against Russia, Wikileaks, and the Trump campaign, telling Todd: “I don’t know the amount of money that it will take, but I will tell you, it’s hard to put a price tag on preserving democracy,” adding: “That’s why I concluded that it would be irresponsible of me not to do this.” Watch the full interview.
CBN News’ David Brody, Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher, The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter and NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell joined this morning’s roundtable for additional insight and analysis on the week in politics, including Barbara Bush’s passing, with Mitchell noting, “Barbara Bush broke through” the Reagan White House’s slow response to the AIDS crisis.
Read the full transcript of this morning’s “Meet the Press” on MeetThePress.com.
For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week, sign up for the “First Read” newsletter, and subscribe to “1947: The Meet the Press Podcast” for on-demand interviews.
PLEASE CREDIT: NBC NEWS’ “MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD”
- Mandatory credit to NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on first reference.
- The onscreen “Meet the Press” credit must be clearly visible and unobstructed at all times in any image, video clip, or other form of media.
- Embedded web video must stream from the NBCNews.com media player with the unobstructed credit as described above.
# # #
For more information contact:
Joya Manasseh
NBC News
o: (212) 664-2498
c: (917) 587-1284
e: joya.manasseh@nbcuni.com
__
NBC NEWS’ “MEET THE PRESS WITH CHUCK TODD”
“Meet the Press with Chuck Todd” is where newsmakers come to make news — setting the political agenda and spotlighting the impact Washington decision-making has on Americans across the country. It is the #1 most-watched Sunday public affairs show across the board for the 2016-2017 season, reaching more than three million viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. “Meet the Press” brings its authority and influencer interviews to MSNBC with “MTP Daily” weekdays at 5 p.m. ET and to the “1947: The Meet the Press Podcast”. It’s the longest-running show in television history, having celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2017 with the launch of its first-ever film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute this November. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of “Meet the Press“; John Reiss is the executive producer.
