questions tonight about whether president trump attempted to influence the justice department investigation of michael cohen. the head of the house judiciary committee saying the former acting attorney general, in a meeting with committee leaders, did not deny talking to the president about the case. the top republican on the committee, he's disputing that assertion. let's discuss. laura coates is here. max boot, the author of "the corrosion of conservatism: why i left the right." and michael isikoff, co-author of "russian roulette: the inside story of putin's war on america and the election of donald trump." so good to have all of you on this evening. max, the house judiciary chairman says the former acting a.g., matt whitaker, would not deny the report that president trump called to discuss the michael cohen case. if that is true, why is the president always seeming to influence or involve himself in the investigation, an investigation that concerns him?