investigation. if you wanted to send a message, he is the ideal person to do it. >> i'm going to put up on the screen some of what nbc news found that mueller is looking at in the obstruction probe because prior to today, one of the items was dangling pardons before witnesses, something john dowd allegedly did according to "the new york times." could this action today, based on what evidence they find, also enter into that obstruction analysis? >> it sure could. basically, everyone agrees the president has what's called a right to pardon. he has a right to pardon someone, but if he's dangling out pardons in order to hinder an investigation, that is quintessentially what bribery is all about. as a litigant in a criminal case, the one thing you know you can't do is bribe someone. you can't give them $5 or $5 million and you can't offer a get out of jail free card. this isn't the only accusation today, this message that's being sent. the president's own lawyer john