PLUS: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on North Korea: “It Was a Mistake to Give the Military Exercises Up”
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.): McConnell “Trying to Play to His Political Advantage” on Senate Supreme Court Confirmation Rules
ALSO: Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Says Trump Sitting Down with Putin is “a Sign of How Confident the President is That He Did Nothing Wrong”
JULY 8, 2018 – In an exclusive interview, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) previews the confirmation battle over President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, telling moderator Chuck Todd that the Senate “can confirm any of the four names being mentioned,” adding, “the president has to think about who is the easiest to get confirmed here.”
Ahead of the president’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Blunt says, “It’s fine to talk to the Russians, but the president should clearly understand that neither the Russians nor dictators like Kim Jong-un are going to be charmed by anybody.”
“He’s genuinely optimistic about anything he is involved in at the time,” shares Blunt when asked by Todd if Trump’s remarks hours after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are “the naiveté of a first-term president.” “It was a mistake to give the military exercises up,” asserts the Missouri senator.
Todd questions if the president listens to his team for the North Korea and Russia summits, and Blunt replies, “I hope so. … He’s comfortable with the team he’s put around himself for the first time in his presidency, and hopefully that will show up in these talks.” Watch the full interview.
“One Republican senator can decide the fate of any Supreme Court nominee,” shares Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in an exclusive interview this morning. The Illinois senator calls the Supreme Court confirmation hearing rules of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “totally inconsistent”: “He’s either wrong the first time or wrong the second time. The net result is he’s trying to play to his political advantage.” Watch the full interview.
Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani also joins the broadcast, telling Todd that “it’s great” if Trump lawyer Michael Cohen wants to cooperate with the feds “because it’s going to lead to nothing.” On the president’s upcoming Russia Summit, Giuliani says, “He has to sit down with Vladimir Putin. … It’s a sign of how confident the president is that he did nothing wrong.” “But Putin’s going to have to meet him more than halfway,” he adds. Watch the full interview.
NBC News’ Mark Murray, USA TODAY’s Susan Page, AEI’s Danielle Pletka and The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson join the broadcast’s roundtable for insight on the week in politics. On the four names being floated for the Supreme Court opening, Robinson notes, “If conservatives would take a breath and look at these candidates they’d see they’re all really conservative as far as we know, as far as we can tell from anything they’ve written. I mean, there’s nothing that I’ve seen pointed out in any of their writings that indicates they’re closet liberals.”
Tune in to NBC tomorrow evening at 9 p.m. ET for special primetime coverage of the president’s Supreme Court nominee announcement.
Read the full transcript of “Meet the Press” this morning, and follow the show on Twitter and on Facebook for the latest.
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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, expanding its brand to include a political documentary film festival in collaboration with the American Film Institute. Chuck Todd is the political director of NBC News and the moderator of “Meet the Press“; John Reiss is the executive producer.
