>>> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK. I'M CHRIS HAYES.
IN SIX DAYS, JAMES COMEY IS SET TO GIVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY BEFORE
CONGRESS IN WHICH HE IS WIDELY EXPECTED TO REVEAL ATTEMPTS BY
THE PRESIDENT TO INTERFERE WITH AND POSSIBLY TO OBSTRUCT THE FBI
INVESTIGATION OF HIS CAMPAIGN'S TIES TO RUSSIA.
TONIGHT, THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE IS WEIGHING WHETHER TO TAKE THE
EXTRAORDINARY STEP OF TRYING TO BLOCK COMEY FROM SPEAKING.
A FORMER FBI DIRECTOR WHO WAS FIRED LAST MONTH IN THE MIDST OF
THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION IS DUE BEFORE AN OPEN SESSION OF THE
SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AT 10:00 A.M. NEXT THURSDAY, JUNE
8th. BUT NOW ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG
REPORTER JENNIFER JACOBS, THE WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS THEY'RE
REVIEWING WHETHER TO INVOKE EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE TO PREVENT
COMEY FROM TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS NEXT WEEK.
ASKED EARLIER TODAY IF THE PRESIDENT PLANNED TO INTERVENE
TO TRY AND SILENCE COMEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DID NOT
RULE IT OUT. >> THAT COMMITTEE HEARING WAS
JUST NOTICED, AND I THINK OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOT TO BE
REVIEWED. >> SO THAT IS NOT A NO?
>> I'M JUST SAYING I DON'T -- LITERALLY MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THE DATE FOR THAT HEARING WAS JUST SET.
I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO COUNSEL YET.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT -- HOW THEY'RE GOING TO RESPOND.
>> IF THE PRESIDENT WERE TO PURSUE AN EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
CLAIM TO STOP COMEY FROM SPEAKING REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL
MERITS, IT WOULD REPRESENT YET ANOTHER MAJOR ESCALATION IN HIS
BATTLE AGAINST THE FORMER FBI DIRECTOR.
THIS COMES AMID REPORTS THAT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATION OF
RUSSIA'S ELECTION INTERFERENCE IS EXPANDING UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT MUELLER.
ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, MUELLER HAS TAKEN CONTROL
OF A PRE-EXISTING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INVOLVING ONE-TIME
TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN PAUL MANAFORT, WHO WAS FORCED TO
RESIGN AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS TIES TO A PRO-RUSSIAN POLITICAL
FACTION IN UKRAINE. A.P. ALSO REPORTS THAT MUELLER'S
INVESTIGATION MAY EXPAND TO EXAMINE THE ROLES OF ATTORNEY
GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS AND DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN
IN THE PRESIDENT'S FIRING OF JAMES COMEY.
PRESSURE HAS ALREADY BEEN MOUNTING ON ANOTHER MEMBER OF
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THE PRESIDENT'S SON-IN-LAW AND
SENIOR ADVISER, JARED KUSHNER, WHO HAS NOW LANDED ON THE COVER
OF "TIME" MAGAZINE AFTER IT WAS REVEALED HE'S UNDER SCRUTINY IN
THE RUSSIA PROBE. AT THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING
TODAY, SEAN SPICER REFUSED ONCE AGAIN TO EXPLAIN WHY THE
PRESIDENT'S SON-IN-LAW MET DURING THE TRANSITION WITH THE
HEAD OF A SANCTIONED RUSSIAN BANK, SERGEY GORKOV,RKOV, AN AL
VLADIMIR PUTIN BECAUSE AS "THE WASHINGTON POST" POINTS OUT, THE
PREVIOUSLY OFFERED EXPLANATIONS FOR THE NEW YORK MEETING JUST DO
NOT ADD UP. THE BANK MAINTAINED THIS WEEK
THE SESSION WAS HELD AS PART OF A NEW BUSINESS STRATEGY AND WAS
CONDUCTED WITH KUSHNER IN HIS ROLE AS THE HEAD OF HIS FAMILY'S
REAL ESTATE BUSINESS. THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS THE MEETING
WAS UNRELATED TO BUSINESS AND WAS ONE OF MANY DIPLOMATIC
ENCOUNTER THE SOON TO BE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER WAS HOLDING
AHEAD OF DONALD TRUMP'S INAUGURATION.
AT A CONFERENCE TODAY IN ST. PETERSBURG NBC'S KEIR
SIMMONS TRIED TO ASK THE RUSSIAN BANKER HIMSELF WHAT HIS MEETING
WITH KUSHNER WAS ALL ABOUT. >> Reporter: MR. GORKOV, IT'S
VERY GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE. YOU'RE THE SUBJECT OF INTENSE
SCRUTINY IN AMERICA BECAUSE OF YOUR MEETING WITH DONALD TRUMP'S
SON-IN-LAW, JARED KUSHNER. >> I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS
ABOUT THAT. >> THE THING IS THERE IS SOME
CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT BUSINESS
OR WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT POLITICS?
>> NO COMMENTS, PLEASE. >> HAVE YOU BEEN CONTACTED BY
THE FBI, OR WOULD YOU BE PREPARED TO TALK TO THEM,
MR. GORKOV? >> WHILE THE SUBJECT OF THE
MEETING IS STILL IN CONTENTION, THERE IS NOW REPORTING ABOUT
WHAT MR. GORKOV, SEEN THERE, DID IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" TRACKED DOWN FLIGHT DATA.
AFTER LEAVING NEWARK ON DECEMBER 14th, THE JET HEADED TO JAPAN,
WHERE VLADIMIR PUTIN WAS VISITING ON DECEMBER 15th AND
16th. THE NEWS MEDIA HAD REPORTED THAT
GORKOV WOULD JOIN THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT THERE.
I'M JOINED NOW BY CONGRESSMAN ERIC SWALWELL.
HE'S A DEMOCRAT FROM CALIFORNIA AND A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE. I WANT TO FIRST GET YOUR
REACTION TO THE NEWS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS CONSIDERING
INVOKING EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE AS AN ATTEMPT TO STOP JAMES COMEY
FROM TESTIFYING. DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE THE LEGAL
ABILITY TO DO THAT? >> GOOD EVENING, CHRIS.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE THAT ABILITY.
IT LOOKS LIKE THAT PRIVILEGE WAS WAIVED WITH THE PRESIDENT
TALKING ABOUT HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH COMEY IN A NUMBER OF
INTERVIEWS AS WELL AS THROUGH HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT.
AND SO I THINK THE DIRECTOR SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COME
FORWARD AND TELL US JUST WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID TO HIM,
WHETHER ANY PRESSURE WAS APPLIED, AND WHETHER HE WAS
BEING DENIED RESOURCES AS HE WAS SEEKING THEM FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE. >> THERE'S SOME SENSE THAT THE
PRESIDENT MIGHT, SHORT OF A SORT OF INVOKING LEGAL PRIVILEGE,
JUST PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE TO BEAR ON RICHARD BURR, WHO IS THE
COMMITTEE CHAIR OVER ON THE SENATE SIDE TO GET THE HEARING
CANCELED OR THE INVITATION WITHDRAWN.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S LIKELY? DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE THE CHAIR
OVER THERE CAN STAND UP TO THAT? >> AT THIS POINT I WOULDN'T PUT
IT PAST THE PRESIDENT TO APPLY PRESSURE ANYWHERE.
WE'VE SEEN HIM T TRYING TO INTERFERE WITH THE HOUSE'S
INVESTIGATION. WE'VE SEEN HIM TRYING TO
INTERFERE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE FBI'S
INVESTIGATION. SO I WOULD NOT PUT THE PRESIDENT
ABOVE THAT. BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT SENATORS
BURR AND WARNER ARE CONDUCTING AN HONEST INVESTIGATION OVER
THERE, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE BULLIED BY THIS PRESIDENT.
>> SPEAKING OF WHICH, YOU'VE JUST REFERRED TO PRESSURE, AND I
THINK YOU'RE OBLIQUELY REFERRING TO THE CHAIR OF YOUR OWN
COMMITTEE, DEVIN NUNES, WHO HAS OFFICIALLY RECUSED HIMSELF FROM
THIS MATTER, BUT APPEARS TO ALSO BE ISSUING SUBPOENAS BY HIMSELF
TO OBAMA OFFICIALS ON THE SORT OF SIDE ISSUE OF UNMASKING.
DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT, AND CAN HE DO THAT?
>> HE IS DOING THAT. HE SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT.
IF HE HAS TRULY STEPPED ASIDE, THEN HIS PEN SHOULD BE NOWHERE
NEAR ANY SUBPOENA THAT TOUCHES ON THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
AND THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE THESE BIZARRE AND DECEITFUL UNMASKING
CLAIMS A PART OF THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
AND SO THE CHAIR SHOULD TRULY STEP ASIDE AND ALLOW MIKE
CONAWAY AND RANKING MEMBER SCHIFF TO WORK TOGETHER AND NOT
INTERFERE IN OUR OWN INVESTIGATION.
>> THERE IS, JUST TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT UNMASKING IS FOR
FOLKS THAT HAVE NOT TRACKED THIS, IT'S THE PRACTICE OF
ESSENTIALLY REMOVING THE REDACTION OF THE NAME OF A U.S.
PERSON IN AN INTELLIGENCE REPORT.
THAT REDACTION IS THERE TO PROTECT THEIR PRIVACY BUT CAN BE
REMOVED AT REQUEST. DEVIN NUNES HAS SAID THAT THE
OBAMA WHITE HOUSE ABUSED THAT OR HAS INTIMATED THEY HAVE.
THIS IS FROM "THE WASHINGTON POST" JUST SHORTLY AGO.
THE REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE ASKED
U.S. SPY AGENCIES LATE LAST YEAR TO REVEAL THE NAMES OF U.S.
INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS CONTAINED IN CLASSIFIED
INTELLIGENCE ON RUSSIA'S MEDDLING IN THE 2016 ELECTION,
ENGAGING IN THE SAME PRACTICE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ACCUSED
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OF ABUSING CURRENT AND FORMER
OFFICIALS SAID. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> AGAIN, CHRIS, THE UNMASKING CLAIMS BY THE PRESIDENT OR BY
CHAIRMAN NUNES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A DISTRACTION FROM THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION. UNMASKING IS A STANDARD PRACTICE
THAT INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS TAKE WHEN THEY NEED TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT INFORMATION THEY RECEIVE. SOMETIMES IT'S DONE IN THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH, AND AS YOU SAW IN "THE WASHINGTON POST" STORY,
SOMETIMES IT'S DONE BY HOUSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT THE
CHAIRMAN OVERSEES. HE ACTUALLY HAS TO SIGN OFF ON
THOSE UNMASKING REQUESTS. >> INDIVIDUALLY?
>> YES, HE DOES. >> SO HE KNOWS HOW MUCH
UNMASKING HE OR HIS COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMITTEE ARE DOING
PRECISELY? >> HE DOES BECAUSE THAT WOULD
COME FROM HIS PEN. AGAIN, WE BELIEVE THIS IS JUST
AN EFFORT TO DISTRACT, DEFLECT, AND DISRUPT A LAWFUL
INVESTIGATION INTO THE PRESIDENT'S TIES TO RUSSIA.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE -- WE HAVE SOME REPORTING TONIGHT THAT THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION HAS EXPANDED.
THERE'S A SORT OF PORTFOLIO THAT INCLUDES AN EXISTING MANAFORTT
INVESTIGATION AND THEN POSSIBLY THE SORT OF QUESTION OF WHETHER
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE IN HIS
HANDLING OF COMEY. DO YOU BELIEVE THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL SHOULD BE INVESTIGATING THIS OBSTRUCTION QUESTION IN THE
SORT OF BASKET OF THINGS THAT HE'S LOOKING INTO?
>> YES. ROBERT MUELLER SHOULD HAVE A
WIDE LATITUDE TO FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE WHEREVER IT TAKES HIM.
AND IF THE PRESIDENT IS CLEARED, THEN HE SHOULD COME FORWARD AND
TELL US THAT. BUT IF THE PRESIDENT OR PEOPLE
ON HIS TEAM WORKED WITH RUSSIA DURING ITS INTERFERENCE
CAMPAIGN, THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
WHAT WE ASK IS THAT THE FBI, UNDER FORMER DIRECTOR MUELLER,
BE ALLOWED TO CONDUCT THEIR WORK WITHOUT ANY INTERFERENCE FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE AND THEN REPORT BACK TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF FOCUS ON JARED KUSHNER NOW.
THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL OUTLETS THAT HAVE REPORTED THAT HE IS
SOMEONE WHO THE INVESTIGATION IS AT LEAST LOOKING AT.
HE IS NOT A SUSPECT. HE IS NOT A TARGET OF THE
INVESTIGATION, BUT HE IS SOMEONE WHOSE INVOLVEMENT IS BEING
LOOKED AT BY INVESTIGATORS. IS JARED KUSHNER SOMEONE THAT
YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM TESTIFY UNDER OATH?
>> WELL, CHRIS, WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS WE ARE SEEKING TO HEAR
FROM RELEVANT WITNESSES, REVIEW RELEVANT DOCUMENTS.
AND SO IF A PERSON WORKED WITH OR TALKED TO THE RUSSIANS BEFORE
THE ELECTION OR DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD, ESPECIALLY
CONSIDERING THAT RUSSIA ATTACKED OUR DEMOCRACY, THEN THAT, TO ME,
WOULD BE A RELEVANT PERSON THAT WE WOULD WANT TO HEAR FROM.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DID ANYTHING WRONG, BUT IT MEANS WE
SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NATURE
OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS WITH A FOREIGN ASVER SARRY.
>> FINALLY, HOW BIG OF AN ESCALATION WOULD IT BE IF THE
PRESIDENT BASICALLY TOLD JAMES COMEY HE COULDN'T TESTIFY?
>> I THINK THAT WOULD WOULD TEL PROBABLY EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO
KNOW ABOUT WHETHER HE WAS TRYING TO PRESSURE JAMES COMEY TO MAKE
THE FLYNN CASE GO AWAY OR WHETHER HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE
THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION GO
For more infomation >> WATCH LIVE: The National for Friday June 2, 2017 - Duration: 59:50. 
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