to the attorney general, rudy giuliani and his team, saying that the president expressing his opinion. nothing more. he wasn't ordering his attorney general to do anything. help us understand the defense that the president's attorneys are beginning to coalesce. >> well, david, so we're outside bedminster here. we haven't seen the president today, nor do we expect to. they have called a travel lid, keeping there won't be any events. we have heard from him. those tweets are jarring. this something the white house has grappled with since trump took office. a few weeks into the administration, sean spicer, then press secretary, said they should be considered formal statement. when you have the president saying things like this, asking jeff sessions to end the probe, saying today that, acknowledging the true meaning of that trump tower meeting with his son and the kremlin-connected lawyer, people are going to take them seriously even as white house officials sometimes behind the scenes try to say that's just how the president blows off steam that it's an outlet for him much like a rally.