PLUS: Sen. Jeff Flake on his Endorsement in the Arizona Race: “Nobody Would be Asking for it … This is the President’s Party Right Now”
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Jerrold Nadler Says “the Role of Congress is not to Protect the President” but to Hold Him “Accountable to the American People”
NEW: President Donald Trump’s Job Approval Rating Remains Stable in New NBC News/WSJ Poll
AUGUST 26, 2018 – In an exclusive phone interview this morning on Meet the Press, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remembered Sen. John McCain, telling moderator Chuck Todd, “He leaves a legacy of service and courage,” adding that he “understood that we’ve been through perilous times before at home and abroad. But our institutions are being severely tested right now, including his beloved Senate. And he was, in every way he knew how, trying to sound the alarm.”
Clinton also addressed McCain’s belief in the Senate as an institution and said: “He really understood in the marrow of his bones what it means to be an American and how important it was for us to, yes, disagree and differ. But at the end of the day to come together, to work together, to trust each other to get things done.” Watch the full interview.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) joined Meet the Press this morning, remembering Sen. McCain: “It was like having a big brother who nobody wanted to mess with,” adding, “I don’t know that we’ll ever see anybody who’s like John McCain. I think he’s one of a kind. I think we can certainly try to follow his example and seeing the good in our opponents and recognizing that people may be on the other side of the aisle or have a different philosophy but they’re our friends and they’re fellow Americans.”
When asked if his endorsement in the upcoming Arizona race would help or hurt a Republican candidate, Flake said: “Nobody would be asking for it in the Republican primary I can tell you that … this is very much, and you know I’m not happy about it but this is the president’s party right now. And I think that we’ll be sorry for that in the future, but that’s the case right now.”
On the possibility that President Trump would fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Flake said it would be a “big mistake” and “the first domino to fall”. Flake added: “There may be a few isolated voices saying that the president ought to fire him now. I can tell you as a body we’re saying, ‘Please don’t’.” Watch the full interview.
“I think the Mueller investigation has to continue, first and foremost. And the Committee has to defend the Mueller investigation against the president’s and the Republicans in Congress’ attempts to sabotage it, to discredit it, and to discredit the FBI and the Department of Justice,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, in an exclusive interview this morning. Nadler added: “The role of Congress is not to protect the president, it’s to hold the president and any president accountable to the American people. And we ought to be holding investigations.” Watch the full interview.
New NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll numbers, conducted before and after last week’s conviction of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the guilty plea of his former lawyer Michael Cohen, debuted on this morning’s broadcast and show that President Trump’s job approval rating remains virtually unchanged following last week’s events. Read more.
NBC News’ Tom Brokaw and Andrea Mitchell also joined the program this morning, remembering Sen. McCain, who had the most appearances of any guest on Meet the Press, appearing 73 times over the course of his political career. Brokaw noted: “We’re missing that in our public life these days, the kind of authenticity that [McCain] brought to the arena.” CBN News’ David Brody, NBC News’ Hallie Jackson, NPR’s Joshua Johnson and USA TODAY’s Susan Page joined the broadcast’s roundtable for insight and analysis on the week in politics and the legacy of Sen. McCain.
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.
