Sunday: Priebus, Graham, Nunes, Cummings
President Trump stepped back into campaign mode this week, once again taking aim at one of his favorite targets: the media. During an extended and extraordinary press conference in the East Room of the White House, he vowed to punish the “low-life leakers” within the government and intelligence agencies responsible for passing inside information along to the press. The press conference came on the heels of a chaotic week, which began Monday with the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn handed in his notice amid reports that he had not be entirely honest with administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about the nature of his conversations with the Russian ambassador on the day the United States took retaliatory actions against Moscow for its meddling in the 2016 elections. Although Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the president asked Flynn to resign due to a lack of trust, Mr. Trump berated the media on Thursday for what he said was his unfair treatment of Flynn.
This Sunday we’ll ask White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus about reported chaos within the new administration -- even though Trump said it was running like “a fine-tuned machine.” With a shaky roll out of the executive order on immigration and the loss of a National Security Advisor, does Priebus agree with the president’s optimistic view? Friday, the Chief of Staff denied a Wall Street Journal Story that claimed intelligence officials are withholding classified information from the president because of the leaks. During an interview, Priebus called the reports “totally fake” and “totally false” and downplayed any alleged relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia. We’ll ask him about all of this and the week ahead.
South Carolina Republican and Member of the Armed Service Committee Sen. Lindsey Graham also joins us Sunday. Graham has called for in-depth investigations into the relationship Mr. Trump’s campaign had with Russian intelligence officials, but it remains to be seen how many other members of his party will support the inquiry.
We’ll also speak with California GOP Representative Devin Nunes. The Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee and has voiced concern over intelligence leaks, saying in an interview, “It’s totally unacceptable for anyone within government to be doing this.” But beyond the leaks, is he concerned about reports that Mr. Flynn lied about the content of his calls with Russians?
Maryland Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was mentioned during Mr. Trump’s marathon press conference , says he did not turn down a meeting at the White House, despite the president’s assertions. Cummings, who serves as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, blasted Republicans within the committee including committee Chair Jason Chaffetz, R- Utah, for their failure to look into the president’s ties to Russia. We’ll get his take on possible Flynn investigations, the White House and the road ahead.
Tom Donilon served as National Security Advisor in the Obama administration. What can he tell us about the role of National Security Adviser and why this is such a crucial positionformer Acting CIA Director Michael Morell to provide some insight into the meaning behind the administrations troubled relationship with intelligence agencies. Without the counsel of a National Security Advisor, who does the president turn to in times of crisis?
Finally, we’ll turn to our political panel for analysis on the news of the week. The Washington Post’s legendary Bob Woodward joins us as well as The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, Washington Columnist from the Boston Globe Indira Lakshmanan and Weekly Standard contributor Michael Graham .
Check your local listings for times and don’t miss it!
