PLUS: Dershowitz says Mueller subpoena could include “what happened before he [Trump] was president”
ALSO: Stormy Daniels’ lawyer on relationship between Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and Daniels’ ex-lawyer: “Not at arm’s-length”
MAY 6, 2018 – “The approach last week of the Trump team plays into the hands of Mueller’s tactic to try, at any cost, to find technical violations against lower ranking people,” Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd this morning in an exclusive interview.
“They’re admitting to enough that warrants scrutiny,” Dershowitz said, referring to the media interviews of Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and new addition to the president’s legal team. “This is the way prosecutors operate. But Giuliani knows it too, and he shouldn’t be playing into their hands.” He explained a subpoena from Special Counsel Robert Mueller could include “what happened before he was president,” which could be fought “on Judge Ellis’ grounds, that it has nothing to do with the mandate that was given to the special counsel. That’s a high bar.” Watch the full interview.
“I don’t think there’s any question that the relationship between Keith Davidson and Michael Cohen was not arm’s length. … We’re still trying to get to the bottom of exactly what happened there,” said Michael Avenatti, lawyer for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, expanding upon the relationship of Daniels’ ex-lawyer with Trump’s lawyer. While Avenatti would not disclose if Mueller’s team has reached out to him or Daniels, he replied, “Suffice it to say that we are cooperating.” Watch the full interview.
“It happens all the time,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul in reaction to news of former Secretary of State John Kerry engaging in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to preserve the Iran nuclear deal. Noting his first guest as ambassador was former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, McFaul shared, “After he had breakfast with me, he went to see Vladimir Putin. Do you think he was saying, “Oh, I think the Obama administration’s doing a great job, you need to, to engage with the president”? I don’t think so.” Watch the full interview with McFaul, author of the new book “From Cold War to Hot Peace.”
The show’s “Data Download” explored whether Red State primary voters would come out despite the president not being on the ballot box and how elections of the past year suggest the Trump bump may not be a transferable quality.
Kimberly Atkins of The Boston Herald, Robert Costa of The Washington Post, presidential historian and author Jon Meacham, and Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute joined the “Meet the Press” roundtable to discuss the week in politics, including reacting to a new book excerpt from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
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.
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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.
