we ll check back with you because there s a lot to discuss right now. lynn sweet, washington bureau chief for the chicago sun times is with me. david swerdlick, cnn commentator, and brian stelter, host of reliable sources. and michael zeldin, former special assistant to robert mueller at the justice department. good to see you all. let s begin with this latest news from dowd, his statement. and whether this was a template for the potential end of the mueller investigation. so michael, trump s attorney calls the mccabe firing brilliant and courageous, and says he hopes rod rosenstein follows this example of jeff sessions and ends the mueller probe. the attorney says, of course, he s speaking out on his own behalf. there were two things there to tackle. is he indeed speaking on his own behalf or is this an extension of the sentiment of the president? and does this now serve as a