Welcome to the lead. Im erica hill in for jake tapper. We begin with the poll tiblitic. Another huge blow to President Trump. His financial gatekeeper Allen Weisselberg granted immunity, the highest ranking executive at the Trump Organization who isnt named trump. One source telling Cnn Weisselberg knows where all the financial bodies are buried. He is mention and the Inthat Moux Cohen trump tape. I need to open up a company for the transfer of all the info regarding our friend david. You know . So that im going to do that right away. I have come up to spoken to me. Spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with so where are we . With the funding. The news after trump lashed
recording of last month of a conversation with trump two months before the 2016 president ial election about payments to former playboy model karen mcdougall. And ive spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set it up with where are we funding. Reporter another person on the tape . National enquirer chief david pecker, a longtime friend of trumps with an Immunity Deal from prosecutors. According to wall street journal, pecker backed up details saying trump was aware of the deals at the time. Making matters worse, the New York Times reports the Manhattan District Attorneys Office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two Senior Company expeecutives in connection to the payment to stormy daniels. Trump made it clear what he thought about Immunity Deals in the campaign. And if youre not guilty of a crime, why do you need immunity
for . Now, the manhattan d. A. s review in the very early stages and no decision made but according to the times a State Investigation would focus on how the Trump Organization accounted for the reimbursement the Michael Cohen for the statement to stormy daniels. And one more thing about weisselberg. Our source said he is not called back for additional questioning of weeks ago and unclear if hell be questioned again. Athee thna jones, thank you. First of all, put it in perspective. Were joined by bill kristol, scott bolden and kevin maddon. Put it in perspective for me. Hes the man who knows where all the financial bodies are buried. How big is this . Oh, actually, i think this is legitimately huge. I know a lot of times we say that things ra really big deal. I think this is this is really a big deal precisely because this is somebody in the
The days top stories from around the world, from politics and money, to sports and pop culture. In fact, beginning to crumble . Yeah. I think thats one of the problems and, look. Over the last year as we have been looking at all the multiple investigations that are taking place, one trend line is very consistent. The evidence keeps piling up. Meaning theres more and more evidence of wrongdoing, that is close to the president , and then the other thing is that the circle keeps drawing closer to the president. I think with the cfo of his company, a big problem there is it takes away one of the main arguments, that the president keeps deploying whenever something bad happens to someone near him, this is somebody limited in their interactions with me and didnt i didnt do a lot of business with. This is your cfo. This is that is a takes away that argument right away so that continues to be one of the challenges that trump and his legal team will have to keep enduring. Just to push on the point, too, not only tough to
matter Tabloid Publishers or lawyers or cfos or third parties. I think the main lesson is and people mentioned this already a little bit. The Legal Investigations are serious. So used to Media Firestorms and trump says something and then what will you do about it . Still president. The media thing fades away. That is not how Legal Investigations work. One thing leads to another and competent people with the resources of the federal government behind them, bob mueller and Southern District of new york, a different story and so its not as if trump wishes this away or a better pr strategy or spin something. The end of the day, mueller knows a, b or c and because he does he learns d, e and f and then persons to mix the metaphor g, h and i decide to cooperate. You dont get to choose. You go to jail or you or tell the truth. I think this is why this week is a big week. Really feels like a Inflection Point in the saga. And then the l, m, n, o, p. Thank you all. Theres new reporting of the aides stopping the president from firing the Attorney General several times and that was before Jeff Sessions punched back. Plus, in the first interview since the diagnosis, john mccain reflecting on his life and legacy. We learn today he made a tough decision to end treatment for the aggressive form of brain cancer hes battling. , a distinct determination. To do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. To fight cancer. And never lose sight of the patients were fighting for. Our Cancer Treatment specialists share the same vision. Experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. Specialists focused on treating cancer. Using advanced technologies. And more precise treatments than before. Working as hard as we can doing all that we can
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immunity . Will that interfere with one of your investigations . Who is better situated to make the case against person x . All of those conversations going on all the time. And i am certain there are conversations going on between the Southern District and muellers office. What the resolution is of those, of course, i dont know. Yeah. Thats still a great unknown. As we look at what happened this week, the president a number of head lines coming out of the interview he did with fox news. Some harsh reviews. Noting that the president , of course, tushed to a fox friend for the conversation. Which was criticized for some Softball Questions and not all criticism. The point also made that ainsley allowed the president to do most of the talking and a way we learn things because the president doesnt give a lot of interviews. Could it also be a prime example, jeffrey toobin, of perhaps why his lawyers do not want him to sit down with Robert Mueller . You know, that is certainly
true. The president says unpredictable and untrue things frequently. I think everyone is familiar with the washington posts list of 4,000 false statements hes made since being president. But in fairness to the president , it needs to be emphasized this is someone whens testified under oath a whole bunch of times. Hes had a litigious life. Lawsuits of the Real Estate Business and given a lot of depositions. Hes never been charged with making false statements in those depositions. Doesnt usually happen in civil cases. So hes not quite the rube and the loose cannon sometimes people make him out to be and cautious lawyers knowing that their client is a risky proposition always prefer say nothing. Jeffrey toobin, appreciate it as always, my friend. Thank you. Weve seen the tweets. Perhaps youve wondered, could
today be the day . President trump fires Jeff Sessions. Up next, First Reporting here on the lead about just how close hes come to saying those words. Youre fired. Little things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats differently. For psoriasis, 75 clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. And the otezla Prescribing Information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. Otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Tell your doctor if these occur. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Other side effects include
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Complaining on twitter about the russia investigation and that sessions hasnt investigated Hillary Clinton and the democrats. President writes, come on, jeff. You can do it. The country is waiting. Cnns Kaitlan Collins at the white house for us. I feel like a bit of a broken record but i have to ask the question. If the relationship is this bad, why hasnt the president just fired his Attorney General . Reporter thats the question on everyones mind here in washington. Of all the grievances that President Trump has, Jeff Sessions is the loudest and come close to firing him on multiple occasions, sources tell cnn the president voiced concern of crossing a line with the Special Counsel Robert Mueller if he does fire him. The question now is, how long can that last . President Trump Taunting His Attorney General today as their bitter feud escalates. The president urging Jeff Sessions to investigate his political enemies telling him,
come on, jeff. You can do it. The country is waiting. Trump with a checklist for sessions. Including but not limited to james comey, Robert Mueller, andrew mccabe, bruce ohr and the clintons. The president ial jabs after a night of fuming in the white house residence after sessions hit back pledging to keep politics out of the Justice Department. Adding, i took control the day i was sworn in. His statement a blunt response to the president. Jeff sessions, never took control of the Justice Department and its a sort of incredible thing. Reporter the clash now over a year in the making. And it all goes back to this. Jeff sessions recused himself which he shouldnt have done or told me. Reporter new tonight, sources telling cnn trump came close to Firing Sessions several times but the advisers convinced
him to wait arguing it could damage his politically and create more problems with mueller, trump making clear to aides he has the absolute right to Fire Sessions if he wants to while taking their advice for now. Though trump upped the attacks on the Special Counsel on recent days mr. Mueller is highly conflicted. Reporter sources say hes weary of crossing a line with him by Firing Sessions. The president s frustration over the russia investigation on full display this week as his former Campaign Chair was found guilty, his former attorney pleaded guilty and breaking today, the chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization was granted immunity in the federal probe into hush payments made to women. Anything on Allen Weisselberg . Reporter trump quiet leaving washington for ohio today. Erica, the president not answering questions of news on twitter before leaving the white
house. That is that hes canceling the secretary of state mike pompeos trip to north korea. This would have been pompeos fourth trip and scheduled to leave tomorrow but the president was citing a lack of progress as far as denuclearizing goes as the reason why hes canceling this trip. Now, were told that mike pompeo was in the room as the president drafted these tweets and sent them and John Bolton National security adviser on the phone and this is the first time were hearing the president voice public concern about maybe that singapore or summit in singapore was not as much of a success as he initially thought it was. Erica . Kaitlan collins with the latest for us. As we look at the timing, too, of that announcement about north korea, it was hard not to look at It Sin Cclinically Earl today and saying perhaps trying to switch the conversation and then a reporting in from cnn. State Department Officials were in the midst of briefing allies embassies about the objectives
for this trip just minutes before the president called it off, bill. What do you make of that . Its hard to know. I mean, i like to give president s the benefit of the doubt on Foreign Policy. I think they thought it wasnt wise to have the trip at this time. Just on the sessions matter, so interesting. What if trump did Fire Sessions . Rod rosenstein would be acting Attorney General. You need one or two defections to make it impossible. Rod rosenstein is i think the huge figure in the case. Jeff toobin said correctly, of course, they coordinate like mueller and the Southern District of new york but they coordinate under the supervision of the Deputy Attorney general and Firing Sessions and then Rod Rosenstein there, that would really be something. Trump has a real problem. He doesnt have support in congress to fire the top justice and why the investigation goes on. Well, its also fascinating, too, in the way hes reaching out. In the tweets this morning, the
president quotes Jeff Sessions by saying the doj will not be improperly influenced by Political Considerations and then the next breath seems to take Jeff Sessions to task for not following up on the president s political opponents. He seems to have almost daily if not hourly urges to fire Jeff Sessions. And has a really to bills point, hasnt really thought through the question, well if not Jeff Sessions, then who . All of those scenarios, many of them being floated around about possibly other Cabinet Secretaries serving as acting Attorney General, well, i dont think anybodys asked them if they want to be inserted into a constitutional crisis. So you know, and the other thing that the president has to remember, im sure that his staff has reminded him of this. You know, the department of justice is not just Jeff Sessions. There are Career Prosecutors inside the department of justice, at the Southern District of new york taking their job seriously and are not going away with any firing of
any Attorney General. Certainly dont forgive me. They dont represent the president or his business interests. They represent the people for the country. And thats the ideal they stand for. Whats interesting, though, too, just to touch on Something Else you said, bill, you know we are seeing some conservatives sort of change their tune a little bit. Case in point, Lindsey Graham. This is what he had to say in 2017. If Jeff Sessions is fired theres holy hell to pay. That was then. Nearly a year ago. Holy hell to pay. This is now. And i think therell come a time sooner rather than later where it will be time to have a new face and a fresh voice at the department of justice. Clearly, Attorney General sessions doesnt have the confidence of the president and the president has a right to have an Attorney General who he feels comfortable with. One could dissect what
comfortable means but it is fascinating to see that change in tune. Yeah. I dont maybe bill explains it. This is a parlor game in washington to figure out whats going on with Lindsey Graham across the board with trump because its a different tune and kind of unusual for him to be, frankly, current position and would typically be somebody to speak out against Something Like this because its technically true the president should have whoever, you know, makes them comfortable but Jeff Sessions actually does everything outside the russia recusing himself from the russia investigation that trump wants an only reason he would have a problem with him is because hes interested in trying to obstruct justice. One of the questions i would ask, too, is, are Lindsey Grahams comments reflective of a larger change of opinion among allies on capitol hill . I dont think so. I think he does enjoy a lot of strong support of senators up on
capitol hill and still find it problematic if the president were to fire him. So, scott, if thats the case, would you see, though, other republicans because he enjoys at kevin pointed out, Support On Capitol Hill and see republicans speak up . I think so. At least in the past, senator sass and others from nebraska said that. But graham is really interesting. When i first heard his comments in the interview i started to think he caught deal with the president to be the next a. G. And maybe the senators accept him. But the problem with all of that is that trump buries himself Firing The Current Ag Sessions because its a step towards ab instruction. I fired you because you didnt fire mueller. I fired you because you didnt fire rosenstein. He would have to fire three or four people and put people in
place to support to shut down mueller and he is a subject of that investigation. Thats why he wont fire him and lastly is the point that ill raise this point. Maybe trump knows he cant fire him for political reasons, maybe he wants to force sessions out. Maybe he wants sessions to resign to make his life easier and to give himself some political cover. Interesting to watch. Ill say thats 25 years in the senate. Hes not going anywhere quick. Thats something we have been talking about since March Of 2017 when he recused himself. Maybe trying to get sessions to step back based on yesterdays comments . I dont think thats happening today. Thats why im the lawyer on the panel and not the political folks. There we go. Shifting gears, tough news today about senator john mccain. His family says he is ending his treatment for brain cancer. Well speak with cnns dr. Sanjay gupta who the senator chose to break the news about the diagnosis with last july. School. Grade. Done. Done. Hit the Snooze Button and get low prices on School Supplies all summer long. Like these for only 2 or less at office depot officemax. Now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller im Gonna Follow The Sun now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller transitions™ light under control™ you made moonshine in a backwoods still. Smuggled booze and dodged the law. Even when they brought you in, they could never hold you down. When i built my family tree and found you, i found my sense of adventure. I set off on a new life, a million miles away. Im heidi choiniere, and this is my ancestry story. Now with over 10 billion historical records, discover your story. Get started for free at ancestry. Com hundred roads named park in the u. S. Its americas most popular street name. But Allstate Agents know thats where the similarity stops. If youre on park street in reno, nevada, the high winds of the Washoe Zephyr could damage your siding. And thats very different than living on park ave in sheboygan, wisconsin, where ice dams could cause water damage. But no matter what park you live on, one of 10,000 local Allstate Agents knows yours. Now that you know the truth, are you in good hands . What does help for heart fait looks like this. Entresto is a Heart Failure pill
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permitted to review the medical records running for president in 2008 and a Practicing Neuro surgeon and deal with patients with these types of cancer. This is such a difficult decision and such a difficult conversation to have for the patient and the family about when is it time to stop treatment and so much of this goes back to quality of life, sanjay. Yeah. Theres no question about it. I think in some of these conversations happened almost since the time of diagnosis, erica. That is diagnosis for Senator Mccain in july of last year, 13 months now since he was diagnosed. He had an operation, you remember, because there was a Blood Collection just above his eyebrow on the left eyebrow and they werent sure what caused that Blood Collection. When they removed it, thats when they found the tumor. But really, at that time, you know, you sort of once you have the diagnosis, you say heres the various options, the likelihood of them having a Significant Impact and constantly weighing risks and benefits and i think whens
happened now is that in discussions with his doctors and his family im sure they the benefits dont outweigh the risks or the toll that these therapies take anymore. Its a tough as you point decision but i think thats typically what happens. Yeah. You know, i know we have talked about this certainly over the past year and remind us. We talk about this as an aggressive form of brain cancer and feels like an understatement in some ways. I tell you. You know, i started training in neuro surgery 25 years ago. Hard to believe. And what i will tell you is that over that time, quarter century now, we have not made a significant dent in terms of overall survival when it comes to this particular cancer. Glioblatoma. Its a cancer that starts in the brain, as opposed to somewhere else in the body and spreading to the brain. You know, it is typically treated with a combination of surgery and then chemotherapy and radiation. Theres various new trials and
things underway but right now median survival is 14 months. Thats youre right in some ways depending on the perspective but its hard to imagine, you know, it is an understatement to call it another form of cancer. When you look at that, though, the median survival 14 months, Senator Mccain has fought this, you know, for a fair amount of time even within that window, especially given his age. Yeah. I mean, you know, that median survival of 14 months with the various therapies and receiving the therapies up until now. Hes, you know, older but, you know, a lot of times medicine we say not the physiological age but the biological age and hes also a fighter. You know . As everyone talked about. Fought another form of cancer in the past, melanoma. So hes been through this in the past. Obviously. But this is a tough cancer. And hes at 13 months right now. You may remember senator kennedy had the same type of cancer back in 2008. And it was about 14 months before he before he died, as well. Thats arnt the average time. Always appreciate it. You got it. Thank you. Up next, Senator Mccains First Television interview after he went public with his diagnosis. Im not trying to paint this as a rosie picture. This is a very virulent form of cancer. It has to be fought against. Liberty mutual saved us almost 800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. With liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. Hey oh, thats my robe. Is it . When you switch to liberty mutual,
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Our Cancer Treatment specialists share the same vision. Experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. And these are the specialists were proud to call our own. Expert medicine works here. Learn more at cancercenter. Com Appointments Available now. This somber news today from the family of senator john mccain. The 81yearold decided to stop receiving medical treatment for brain cancer. His wife cindy writing on twitter. I love my husband with All Of My Heart god bless everyone that cared for him along the journey. Last year, senator john mccain returned to work on capitol hill. And he sat down with jake to talk about the health, his decades of service and how he hopes hell be remembered. Heres part of that interview which was one of the last ones the senator gave before returning home for intense treatment. Hows your family taking it . Cindy and jack and jimmy and bridget and megan . It is tough. We tried to include them with Conference Calls on the doctors. Mayo clinic and paying me nothing for this, is excellent. Nih has been really good and so im getting the best treatment that anybody could get. And im very happy. Im very happy with my life. Im very happy with what ive been able to do and theres two ways to look at the things and one is to celebrate. Im able to celebrate a wonderful life. And i will be grateful for the additional time that i have. We were talking about old memories. I covered your campaign in 2000. I have a very vivid memory one time were flying on your airplane in the 2000 president ial race and you remember that plane was a bucket of bolts. Awful plane. On the cheap. We were going through turbulence, bad turbulence. People on the plane was scared. I was scared. You were in the aisle holding a glass of vodka i think and you were saying, they cant kill me in a plane. I cant be killed in a plane because you survived a number of Plane Crashes as a navy pilot. Does this faceoff with mortality feel differently than previously faced . The other ones i had much more control, obviously. I was flying the airplane. You know . Although the melanoma was similar to this. But its similar in that the challenges are very significant. Obviously. But everything so far has gone very, very well. And im very grateful. Ive had no side effects, no nothing except frankly an increased level of energy and i want to thank the doctors and the nurses and the attendants and all of those that inflicted pain on me. I didnt know i had blood left and i like to thank them for their wonderful care. Theyre wonderful people. One more question on health. You went through chemo and radiation to fight the cancer. When do you find out if it worked . On monday. Well take an mri. But so far all indications are very good. But again, im not trying to paint this as rosie picture. That is very virulent form of cancer it has to be fought against. We have new technologies which i wont bother you with the details of that make chances much better. But, jake, you know, every life has to end one way or another. I think it was playwright i think ill think of his name in a minute. He said i always knew that no one could live forever but i thought there might be one exception. That reminds me you got to have joy. Joy. Listen. Those joyful memories of the campaign in 2000 are some of the most enjoyable times of my life. We were the underdogs. We were fighting our way up. We went to sedona. You remember. I mean, everything was so magic about that campaign. And im very grateful for the opportunity. I was fifth from the bottom of the class at the naval academy. My last question for you. I hope i dont run this clip for another 50 years. But how do you want the American People to remember you . He served his country. And not always right. Made a lot of mistakes. Made a lot of errors. But served his country and i hope we could add honorably. I think we can say honorably. Always great to have you here. Do not be a stranger. This is a seat for you any time you want. Thank you. Great to see you. Bill, you have covered john mccain for decades. And you wrote this last year. Before i ever met john mccain i was in awe of him. Ive gotten the know him pretty well over the last couple of decades and i still am. There are a lot of people who would agree with you. Yeah. Really wonderful you showed the clips of jakes interview when you see what an impressive man he is and such a wonderful life. But its also an attitude approaching, foresees the end. To have that sense of gratitude
and joy and pride i think but also, you know, tempered, hes genuinely a modest man in the way and emphasized made mistakes, an incredible example. I think in this current moment of donald trump and National Enquirer and Michael Cohen and, ugh, one thing after another, it is good to have an example of Honorable Service and of a life well led. You know, it is interesting you bring it up. When he returned to the senate last year, he really, you know, became one might say once again and in this environment, the conscience of Congress Demanding colleagues stand up. Right . Serve as a check on the presidency. Hes put a lot of examples out there. But to bills point, sometimes it feels like theres not a place for that in politics anymore. Right. Well, there is a place for it. There arent people willing to do it. I think thats why it feels like such a loss, even for people who disagreed with him. I had a lot of disagreements
with him over Foreign Policy and i always heard from him, also, when i said things he didnt like and, you know, was told repeatedly i was going to make his head explode and things like that. He had a wonderful sense of humor, also. He was somebody who, you know, was always joking and playing tricks. He used to with me i dont know if people have seen this. Saturday night live stalking the woman and comes up behind her and would do that to me at the Newsroom Desk and hello, kirsten. Every time i would scream and so creepy but he was like that. He was just he was a funny, warm, nice person or is. Im just saying back then. Right. And then on top of it, i think hes somebody that holds an important place in American History and he has this long experience in history that other people just dont have. And you hear him talk there in the interview with jake last year how fortunate to in his
words celebrate a wonderful life. Kevin, in the recent memoir he wrote id like to see the politics return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the other the history of other nations and were more alike than different. As we celebrate john mccain and his life and his achievements and contributions to this country, i mean, is there a sense thats a conversation that perhaps can inspire in a different way now that were at this point . John mccain inspired a lot of people to Public Service through his example and we are talking about it, are there people to pick up the mantle . I think there are and may be fewer but people to carry on the legacy. One thing i would really note which is its easy to have a lot of friends and allies talk nice about you at a time like this but whats most notable is people opposed to mccain and the political opponents, theyre lauding him in the same way. He earned the respect of even
those that opposed him on policy or ran campaigns against him and a telling tribute to the person and the character that he has. And, scott, thats one of the things to see reaching across the aisle and the honesty, too, as kirsten pointed out, you would hear if hes not happen pain doing that and laugh at yourself and talk about the things, thats important. Yeah. He was just a Humanly Decent was at the core. My last memory of john mccain, ill be quick about this, when he was in the campaign in 2000, he was an underdog. He stood in this room with a bunch of supporters, town hall, and one of the supporters started to talk about barack obama being a muslim and not born in america and he stood up and a supporter and you know how bad hi he wanted to win and said that is not what this campaign is about. Thats a moment i would hope we all remember for sometime. We miss him in politics these days. Thats what we miss. True. Appreciate all of you joining us today and the memories, as well
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