EXCLUSIVE: McCarthy on declassifying the House Intel memo on surveillance: “I think it would be appropriate that the public has full view of it”
EXCLUSIVE: Former Defense Sec. Robert Gates says there will be a “political cost” for firing Mueller
PLUS: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on reports of Trump’s order to fire Mueller: “New York talk”
JANUARY 28, 2018 – In an exclusive interview this morning on “Meet the Press,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told moderator Chuck Todd, “I don’t think there’s a need for legislation right now to protect Mueller” when asked if he would support such legislation, following reports this week of the president’s reported order to fire Mueller.
McCarthy also addressed the House Intelligence Committee memo on surveillance, “Having read this memo, I think it would be appropriate that the public has full view of it.” Watch the exclusive interview with the House Majority Leader.
On the possible firing of Mueller, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told Todd: “That’s New York talk. I look at it strictly as the New York language that they have which is different than most other people.”
Expanding on how that is “New York talk,” Manchin said, “Let’s see if [Trump] moves on Rosenstein. If he moves on Rosenstein, Chuck, I think at that time there’ll be Democrats and Republicans saying, ‘Time to protect the judicial system and the three branches of government having equal power.’ Absolutely.” Watch the interview with the West Virginia senator.
In an exclusive interview, former Defense Sec. Robert Gates addressed what Congress should do to protect Mueller if the president decides to fire him: “The one thing that can be done is to try and figure out how to make it clear the magnitude of the political cost that would be incurred should he be fired.” Watch the exclusive interview with the former defense secretary.
NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw, NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Kasie Hunt, National Review editor Rich Lowry and Democratic strategist Heather McGhee joined this morning’s roundtable for insight and analysis where Brokaw noted, “I think for the country, frankly, Chuck, it’s kind of a non-issue now that [Trump] was thinking about firing [Mueller] six months ago but he did not. I think that they moved on.”
Read the full transcript of this morning’s “Meet the Press” on MeetThePress.com.
For more from moderator Chuck Todd, tune in this Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC for special State of the Union coverage, sign up for the “First Read” newsletter and subscribe to “1947: The Meet The Press Podcast” for on-demand interviews.
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Joya Manasseh
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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.
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