Knew about the hack of the dnc before the public did. Boy, i love reading those wikilea wikileaks. What to make of the president s gun show. I like taking the guns early. With the lawmaker in the room. I think you underestimate the power of the gun lobby. When all in starts right now. Good evening from new york. Im chris hayes. White House Communications director hope hicks is out. One day after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, where she acknowledged telling, and im quoting because its such an indicative phrase, white lies. White lies for the president. The president s longest serving aide is joining the extensive and ever growing list of senior officials to leave the Trump Administration. Hicks has been a player in some of the pivotal moments of the russia saga. She was interviewed by Robert MuellersTeam Last Year and her departure comes as muellers investigation appears to be turn together key question at the heart of the whole affair. Did the president of the United States conspire with a foreign adversary to influence the 2016 election. According to an explooes cluesive report from nbc news out today, muellers team is now asking witnesses pointed questions whether donald trump was aware that democratic emails had been stolen before that was publicly known and whether he was involved in their strategic release. Now, we already know that members of the president s campaign were aware of the emails. Youll remember George Papadopoulos, that guy . According to his guilty plea about, a month after he attended that meeting with the candidate himself, thats donald trump and George Papadopoulos sitting at the same table talking, about a month after that meeting with the candidate, papadopoulos learned from a russian intermediary the russians had emails of clinton. They have trouz thousands of emails. Thats an amazing thing to know before everyone else knows it we know from the same filings papadopoulos despite being described as coffee boy was in frequent contact with Senior Campaign officials and we just found out, and this got a little lost, this is important, that papadopoulos had been informed that the russians could assist the campaign by anonymously releasing the clinton emails, which sure as heck sounds familiar. Ranking member adam schiff explained the significance of that revelation monday night right here on this program. Our memo discloses for the first time that the russians preview to papadopoulos that they could help with disseminating these stolen emails. We knew from the papadopoulos plea that the russians had told the Trump Campaign very early on in april of 2016 that they were in possession of these stolen emails. We now know that the department of justice presented to the fisa Court Information that the russians previewed what they would do with this information. Their dissemination of it. So the russians have previewed to a campaign surrogate, george popped they have the emails. Thousands of emails of Hillary Clinton. What they would do leaking it anonymously all before this all comes out publicly. The question is with all the information swirling around inside the Trump Campaign, did any of that information make its way to the man at the city of the campaign, the candidate . Did it make its way to donald trump and could it have had anything to do with these very memorable comments in july 2016 . Russia, if youre listening, i hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Mike is an nbc National Political reporter who helped break that story. What do we know about these questions muellers team is asking . Well, chris, as you know, this Mueller Investigation has been very tightlipped. Theres been very few leaks coming from it. Anytime we can offer the public insight no what theyre investigating, its significant. In this case, what were reporting along with carol lee and katy tur, puts a spotlight on the collusion aspect of this investigation. Specifically, not necessarily weather senior members of the Trump Campaign and senior russian government officials were coordinating but the nature of potential intermediaries in helping to facilitate leaks that could prove damaging to clinton campaign. The timeline was critical. In march, podestas emails were hacked. In april, George Papadopoulos meeting with the russian agent who informs him they have dirt on Hillary Clinton. The timing of the release of the emails is significant, as well. Have you in july of 2016, just as democrats hope to unite the party ahead of the democratic convention, the dnc emails are leaked. Then in october, just as the access Hollywood Tape breaks, you have the Podesta Emails leaked. So what weve been told in our reporting is that mueller is zeroing in on whether senior members of the Trump Campaign or any allies of trump including roger stone may have been suggesting to the president , the hen candidate in that july famous comment, that clip you just showed whether he was with knowledge of what was to come pleading with the russians to release this. Its also important what we learned from the democratic memo. This is not just information because carter pij if i sa application is part of the precursor to what is now the Mueller Probe. When they went to the fisa court, theyre presenting a potential link between what papadopoulos learned in his conversations with russians and other aspects of interest to this investigation. It lends credibility to it. So the timing is also key that theyre zeroing in on these key sort of plot points in this drama particularly that the wikileaks first set of Podesta Emails i think theyre tweeted a half an hour after the west story on access hollywood. Thats right. Not to be lost in the dnc emails, as well. The comment that you played from then candidate trump was at a press conference just days after those dnc emails were posted. And, of course, again, the role of roger stone. Remember the tweet he cryptically suggested that podestas turn in the barrel was coming. The question that mueller and his other Investigative Team is asking, did he tweet that with knowledge that in fact podestas emails were hacked an ready to be released. Roger stone denied any link with wikileaks, any direct contact with julian assange. He testified before it the House Intelligence Committee last fall and said much of the same. He also said in his Opening Statement before the committee at that time was that when he was referring to podestas time in the barrel, the context was key, was because his friend, hischildhood friend, Paul Manafort, had just resigned as the Trump Campaign chairman. And this was in connection to his own contacts with foreign governments and thats what he was suggesting his tweet was in reference to at the time. Investigators want to know more and want to know whether stone was still in contact with donald trump had himself. Mike memoli, great to have you. Lets bringing in Nick Ackerman, former federal prosecutor paul butler. Paul, let me start with you. Lets say devils advocate posture here. At some level, its not surprising muellers team would be asking these questions since theyre questions you would have to ask if you were getting into collusion anyway. Is it news to you these are being asked now . Its big news. The focus of muellers investigation of trump has seemed heretofore to be about obstruction. The firing of james comey. Right. The meetinging on air force one where he and hope hicks ginned up that false narrative what the meeting with the lawyer was about. But prosecutors have always had this question, if trump only has allegations of obstruction or even evidence, would he bring a case. Now, were thinking squarely about collusion. So the obstruction of justice would be supplemental to trump actually colluding with the russians to subvert democracy to steal the election. The thing there is that collusion by itself is not a crime. Conspiracy to defraud the United States on the other hand is a fiveyear felony. And today were getting evidence that mueller thinks that trump might have been involved in some kind of conspiracy. If he was involved in any way with coordinating the release of hacked emails, hes got criminal exposure. Thats even bigger than a fiveyear felony. What were dealing with is a conspiracy to break in to the Democratic National committee. Steal emails and use those emails to help trump get elected. And the quid pro quo for that was the dropping of sanctions. What was left out of this whole narrative was the one end with Michael Flynn who was dealing with the Russian Ambassador over sanctions and the whole notion that the Trump Administration was going to get rid of all of the sanctions after he took office. We should say, there is reporting indicating that was the order that was sent sort of top down on day one was we want to get rid of the sanctions. There was a rebellion in the state department. If you go to the other end of the conspiracy, what you have is the june 9th meeting where youve got the email to don junior stating that theyre going to bring all of this dirt on Hillary Clinton up to new york to this meeting from russia. The dirt is the equivalent of the emails. Thats what he papadopoulos tells us. Thats whats in this letter the democratic letter issued last week. So all of these emails come up to new york. They realize its too hot to handle. The campaign. This is again, i have to be clear. This is the Nick Ackerman theory of the case of what happened. This is exactly where its going because what happens next is within days, roger stone is dealing with guccifer 2. 0, hes dealing with wikileaks. We know hes dealing because the new Communications Just came out that contradict what he was saying about his later dealings. And then what happens all of the stuff gets released from guccifer 2. 0. It gets released through wikileaks. There are contacts between don junior and wikileaks. The president now president was telling everybody to go to the wikileaks, go to this website. He was encouraging at least a dozen times. He did that during the course of the campaign. Heres the thing. Paul, short of the nick theory, you have a theory of the case which you just laid out. Quid pro quo that involves essentially coconspireing in this criminal conspiracy. Based on evidence. Im not saying based on evidence. But in some ways, paul what, im hearing from you is that short of any of that, lets say there was no quid pro quo or promise, if you know in any way what theyre doing and you help them disseminate the emails youre saying theres criminal exposure right there. Yeah, help is the key. If the president is being more or less passive and understanding that the russians have this information, this dirt on hillary and it would be really cool if it came out but i dont have anything to do with it, i dont think thats hes going to be the subject of an indictment or a report to congress recommending impeachment. On the other hand, if he was active in any kind of participation any kind of active coordination about when the emails would be released or who should be targeted, what journalists or other folks should be targeted with this dirt on hillary, then hes going down. And its exactly the same thing he did in the oval office. What you showed with that clip before trump gets up and says russia, get those emails he does it in public. He did the same thing in the oval office with the ambassador where he released classified information that he got from the israelis. This is a man who is very cagey. Does this thing in a public way where it doesnt look like hes actually helping the russians but the bottom line is, he is. And thats where hes going to go down. That point i think is a key one. If you can show the president knowing about what russia is doing via the emails even if the papadopoulos information is passed to him,ham saying publicly, russia if youre listening is no longer a joke. Hes in public giving a directive as part of the conspiracy plausibly. Does he tound sound like hes joking . He claimed it was a joke afterwards. That didnt sound like a joke to me. Go ahead, paul. Thats where Paul Manafort again at some point, chris, Paul Manafort is pleading guilty. Hes 69 years old looking at 40 years. The case against him is really easy to prove. If hes got dirt about the president of the United States, Robert Mueller is going to get that dirt. I pleaded not guilty today and they set a trial date in midseptember. Thanks for being here. The president launches a very public attack on his own attorney general who apparently his nickname for is mr. Mcgeough for not investigating his personal political enemies. Tonight word that Robert Mueller is interested in trumps attempts to fire Jeff Sessions. Next, the white House Communications director quits one day after facing the house russia probe. Why hope hicks is suddenly resigning in two minutes. S. Guys, know anything about this missing inventory . Wasnt me the cheeks dont lie, chet. Irresistibly planters. [thud] [screaming crying] [screaming crying] [phone ping] with esurance photo claims, you could have money for repairs within a day. Wow that was really fast. Thats insurance for the modern world. Esurance. Click or call. Its youve never gamed with speeds like this internet. Its all your teenagers streaming at once internet. Its i can get up to one, two, three, four, five mobile lines included . Internet its internet from xfinity that makes your life simple, easy, awesome. See how you can save by adding Xfinity Mobile to your internet. Plus, save even more when you sign up for internet, tv and voice together. Click, call, or visit an xfinity store today. Now, hope hicks is a tremendously talented person. She started off with us right from day one. Hope hicks, this is hope. This is hope. This is hope. Nobody nobody takes more phone calls i think in a day than hope. The legendary hope hicks. Come on up here, hope. Come, come, come. Shes shy. Get her up here. A shock resignation tonight. Hope hicks trumps longest serving aide announcing she is leaving as white House Communications director telling colleagues a great profile for gq, Ashley Parker from the washington post. Ashley, let me start with you. Why did this happen . What happened . So thats what were still trying to unpack a little bit. Our understanding is that she had told at least some Close Friends before her testimony on the hill yesterday that this was planned. And this job took an incredible personal toll on her. In addition to sort of working with trump for three years, weathering the chaos and the maelstrom of just being in trumps orbit, if you just look at the past month, she was dating rob porter. An alleged Domestic Abuser, she had pap raz ziz staking out her house described by friends as deeply shaken about that and she was also facing this testimony, yesterdays testimony an encoaching Mueller Probe and was exhausted. My understanding as the news broke, she was crying but in some ways relieved to be exiting this white house. Olivia, how important is hope hicks to this white house . I mean, shes extremely important. I would say shes one of the most if not the most important aide there. Remember donald trump has not existed without hope hicks by his side since the winter of 2015. Thats months before he announced he was running for president. She has outlived corey lewandowski, paw manafort, steve bannon, reince priebus, sean spicer. I could go on and on and on. And trump doesnt seem any different in terms of his emotional state, ill put it that way, without those people around. I think without hope, things might be different. I also want to point out, everyones pointing to the testimony yesterday as being what they think is related to her resignation. Maybe thats true but i think a Different Event yesterday which was the resignation of josh raffle, her very close friend from a pr firm she worked for in new york, him leaving probably maybe has more to do with her exit than the testimony even does because she really they are very Close Friends. She doesnt like washington. Shes not very social. They are social together. They hang out all the time. It will be more difficult here for her without him around. And to olivias point, two things. When this whole thing started, it was basically a tabloid scandal before there were any Domestic Abuse allegations it was sort of her and rob porter stepping out on the town. The third wheel in this date not named was josh raffle. He is always there and very close toes hope. To her other point, it was very astute this idea that hope has been with trump from the beginning. Now that shes gone, this president is someone who runs the white house like a