Passionate political speaker, which is really against everything we believe in in this country, foundation of the first amendment. But im going to tell you, its the most illadvised legislative action ive seen in my lifetime. It is tearing the country apart at a time when we dont need anything like that. I think President Biden missed a great opportunity to be a statesman and to demand that this thing be called off, frankly. This is the political weaponization of the impeachment process. Meanwhile, the Biden White House is ramping up their push for the president s nearly 2 trillion covid Relief Package. Tonight the president met with ten republican senators who proposed a slimmeddown version of the bill. The group, which includes senators Susan Collins and mitt romney, wants a 618 billion package. Their plan would provide 1,000 stimulus checks as opposed to bidens proposal of 1,400. After the twohour meeting, Senator Collins walked out of the white house and spoke to reporters. It was a very Good Exchange of views. I wouldnt say that we came together on a package tonight. No one expected that in a twohour meeting. But what we did agree to do is to follow up and talk further at the staff level and amongst ourselves and with the president and vice president. Earlier today, White House Press secretary jen psaki was asked about tonights meeting. Hes happy to have a conversation with them. What this meeting is not is a forum for the president to make or accept an offer. So i think thats important to convey to all of you. His view, it remains what was stated in the Statement Last night but also what he said on friday, which is that the risk is not that its too big this package, the risk is its too small. That remains his view and one hell certainly express today. The negotiations over the covid relief bill come as over 122,000 new infections were reported just today. And this was the day we also saw nearly 2,500 deaths nationwide. Overall, the u. S. Has passed 26 million confirmed cases. There are also developments tonight on the effort to oust the Qanon Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor greene, from her committee post in the house. Today House Democrats introduced a resolution to remove greene from the education and budget committees. House republican leader Kevin Mccarthy is expected to speak with the congresswoman later this week over her past inflammatory statements. But its not clear what or if he will take action. Today, House Majority leader steny hoyer, the speakers number two read a statement, quote, it is my hope and expectation that republicans will do the right thing and hold representative Greene Accountable and we will not need to consider this resolution. But we are prepared to do so if necessary, presumably the democrats have the votes. Over the weekend, greene said she spoke to former President Trump and claimed to have his support. Today greene said she would be visiting trump in florida soon. But then just tonight, Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell released a scathing statement on Marjorie Taylor greene. It reads in part, quote, loony lies and Conspiracy Theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country. Somebody whos suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon On 9 11, that horrifying School Shootings were prestaged, and that the clintons crashed jfk jr. s airplane is not living in reality. The congresswoman had this response for mcconnell. Quote, the real cancer for the Republican Party is weak republicans who only know how to lose gracefully. This is why we are losing our country. So well leave that there for now. Lets bring in our leadoff guests on this monday night. Philip rucker, Senior Washington correspondent for the washington post, alexi mccammond, and neal katyal, former acting solicitor general during the Obama Administration who has argued dozens of cases before the u. S. Supreme court. Id like to start, phil, with you over at the white house. Are you detecting any real worry about this coming collision . Lets face it, we know its going to get the media oxygen, an Impeachment Trial in the senate versus debate and negotiations over the stimulus package, the covid Relief Package that biden wants. Absolutely, brian. This has been a concern from day one of this new presidency. Theyve seen the Impeachment Trial coming. They of course support the senate moving ahead with those Accountability Measures after the january 6th insurrection. But theres been an effort to try to fast track as many of those Senate Confirmation hearings and votes for bidens cabinet as possible before the Impeachment Proceedings really get under way. And there had been some hope of getting this Covid Package through quickly, and of course was the president s top priority the minute he was sworn in on january 20th. But, you know, legislation is slow and cumbersome and there does not appear to be a deal in the offing right now. We have as you put it a Collision Course here where likely this Covid Package is still going to be up in the air as the Senate Begins the Impeachment Trial and leaders in that chamber are going to have to try to balance too. Neil, thats where you come in. Apparently the president s legal team is not going to try to relitigate the crazy. The election was stolen ad infinitum. Though we have a reminder for everyone watching, the president s role at that rally that day well discuss on the other side. They rigged an election. They rigged it like theyve never rigged an election before. We will not let them silence your voices. Were not going to let it happen. [ cheers ] not going to let it happen. [ chanting ] now it is up to congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy, and after this, were going to walk down and ill be there with you were going to walk down were going to walk down anyone you want, but i think right here. Were going to walk down to the capitol. And we fight. We fight like hell. If you dont fight like hell u youre not going to have a country anymore. So, neil, everything there is a lie. The rigged election, of course, but right down to ill walk there with you. He went back to the white house instead. So theyre not going to relitigate the crazy. They are going to try to litigate that this is somehow unconstitutional to try a president now out of office. Can you help us out on that . Absolutely. Brian, first, we dont know that they wont litigate the crazy. After all, this weekend it was reported that all five of trumps lawyers left because trump wanted him to litigate the crazy and they refused, like any honorable lawyer. Now he has a new legal team. We dont know exactly what that new legal team will be arguing, but its certainly possible that trump will push them again to argue the big lie and all of that. We do know they are going to also argue that you cant impeach a former president and here i think everyone should keep an eye on mcconnell. Not Mitch Mcconnell, the prominent jurist Michael Mcconnell hes made a powerful argument which goes like this. He says, look, it doesnt really matter whether you think a former official can be impeached or not. This Impeachment Trial started with a sitting president. Not a former one. And, therefore, he says, its, quote, unquestionably permissible. Look, if a former official cant be barred from future office holding, that would just make them put pressure on all the systems of our government that would go after an official, a lawless official like donald trump, and that would been criminal prosecution because the founders were all about checks and balances and the provision of a remedy, and it just cant be that donald trump, a, cant be impeached for ukraine because they said america should wait for the election, b, he cant be impeached for january 6th because hell soon be out of office, c, he cant be prosecuted while hes a sitting president , and, d, he cant be prosecuted afterward for actions he took as a sitting president. You add that together, its just constitutional nonsense. And laced into our constitutional system of separation of powers is the idea that people like this have to face the tribunal. You dont get to precipitate a violent attack on government and get to retire in florida peacefully. Alexey, this brings us to you. Lets talk about aoc. After sharing with our viewers some what she did tonight, talking about where she was during the insurrection on 6th january. This was on facebook live. So i hide behind my door like this, like im here. And the Bathroom Door starts going like this, like the Bathroom Door is behind me, rather, front of me. And the door hinges right here, and i hear, where is she . Where is she . And this was the moment where i thought everything was over. Got my platform wrong, Instagram Live, in fact. Alexey, what have we learned about these accounts and why is it important to learn them from her . Well, thanks for having me, brian. Happy black history month. Glad to see you guys on the first day of this month. Im glad that youre showing that clip of what congresswoman alexandria ocasiocortez shared on Instagram Live today because it is one of the most raw and harrowing accounts from a member weve had so far about what they actually experienced during the insurrection at the capitol on january 6th. Its especially important in this moment as republicans are looking at one of their own in congresswoman Marjorie Taylor greene and considering what to do with somebody who has these Conspiracy Theories in mind, pushes these violent and dangerous ideas, and now sits in the halls of Congress Next to someone like congresswoman ocasiocortez who said she felt like she was going to die that day, that she was specifically targeted that day. Congresswoman ocasiocortez said that on monday, two days before the insurrection when she was leaving the capitol, there was a group of protrump supporters who were completely surrounding her car and harassing her, making it difficult for her to even get in the car to be able to leave. And that was two days before. And so shes kind of shedding light on this idea that its not okay for Law Enforcement officials to say they werent aware of the threat presented on january 6th ahead of time because it was clear to her and other members days ahead of time what was really going on and what the really kind of violent and Dangerous Energy inspired by former President Trump and republican allies of his who have pushed these Conspiracy Theories and these lies. Lets not forget dangerous, violent, and specific violence against women like speaker nancy pelosi, congresswoman aoc. Weve seen former President Trump do this with other women in the democratic president in the past, so its harrowing to hear what happened behind the scene as we question how Something Like this could have happened. But the big question, brian, as congresswoman ocasiocortez is pointing out in this Story S Whether and how certain members of the Capitol Police force were involved or aware. I mean, the man who she was describing who broke into her office and was demanding to know where she was didnt even identify himself as a Capitol Police officer. She talked about how was she supposed to trust someone like that to help her when she knows people are there to attack her and others specifically, and the Capitol Police officer there to protect her doesnt even identify himself or help her in a way that would seem normal in a situation like that. There are many questions that are left to be revealed, but i think that this is also the last thing ill say, this is also a preview of what we can expect from the type of trial the democrats want to present in the senate against former President Trump. They want it to be emotional. They want to have witnesses that can tell exactly what happened to really show when republicans go on the record and try to acquit former President Trump, this is what they are acquitting him for, this type of violence that obviously led to death. Phil rucker, as Alexey Brilliantly pointed out, thats the backdrop here, and most of the Congress Still cant believe the effort to quietly sweep insurrection and looting under the rug and quickly forget about it. So its against that backdrop that joe biden and if you watched his career, having ten republican senators to the oval office was very on brand for this creature of the u. S. Senate. Joe biden is talking about unity and wants republican Crossover Voters and our atmosphere remains so toxic. Thats exactly right, brian. The atmosphere, the toxic atmosphere is only likely to become more toxic as next week gets under way as the trial and the evidence is presented to remind people as alexey was talking about of the emotion of january 6th. But also, frankly, as some really pitched partisan battles are under way over rhetoric and congresswoman greene and what to do about her, and youre just seeing a lot of tribal fighting right now in washington at the exact moment when President Biden is trying to begin his presidency with gestures of unity. That meeting in the oval office this afternoon that went into the evening as Darkness Fell On Washington was really important symbolically, even if you read the statements that came out of the white house afterwards and from Senator Collins when she spoke to the cameras, its very clear that there is not a deal here, that theres not agreement between these ten republicans and President Biden about how much money should be spent on covid relief for this package. But nonetheless, theres sort of a goodfaith effort on both sides to at least sit down and talk with one another and find some areas of agreement and see if they cant over the next several days and weeks come to some sort of a compromise. Remember, President Trump in his final year of office. I dont believe he spoke to House Speaker nancy pelosi at all in that final year, so its a real departure when you look at how this president is handling the Opposition Party in congress. Counselor, back over to you. Congresswoman qanon was elected to congress legally. Beyond stripping her of her committee assignments, does congress have the power to expel one of their own members . They absolutely do. But before talking about that, brian, i want to say a word about aoc tonight. All your viewers should see the whole video. The excerpt doesnt do it justice. It was moving and powerful in ways i cant even begin to describe. No disrespect to the house managers who are phenomenal, but, you know, watching that, you think, god, you know, aoc should be a house manager. We get hung up sometimes on having a law directingdegree and stuff like that. What a powerful, brilliant communicator in someone who just encapsulates everything that happened january 6th in just ways that are transcend the moment. With respect to the congresswoman, congress has two different mechanisms available to remove her from office and i think they should be used. I dont think stripping her of a committee is enough. It doesnt capture the graffiti gravity of the positions shes taken. Stripping her from committee, i mean, look, shes not exactly a hard worker or someone who spends her time looking up any facts. So if shes not on a committee, that just gives her more time to spew her loony nonsense. So article i, section 5 of the Institution Says each house can punish members for disorderly behavior and with the concurrence of twothirds, expel a member. So that will require a twothirds vote. There is also a separate possibility under the 14th Amendment of excluding someone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. That may be done with a majority vote, but it would probably require a educational tribunal to evaluate there. We should welcome that and welco