BALLOT IN 50 STATES. >> THAT IS VERY INTERESTING. KRISTEN, THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. OUT FRONT NOW, BASIL SMIKLE, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. ALSO FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN, ADAM KINZINGER, WHO OF COURSE WAS A MEMBER OF THE JANUARY SIX SELECT COMMITTEE, AND DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA. CONGRESSMAN, TO YOU FIRST HEAR. TRUMP'S RIVALS, YOU'VE HEARD, THE THEY'RE BACKING HIM, THEY'RE SAYING HE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN OFF THE BALLOT FOR 2024. POLITICALLY SPEAKING, DO THEY HAVE ANY OTHER CHOICE? >> NO. AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT OBSERVATION, THEY HAVE TO SAY THIS. I MEAN, I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT PRINCIPLED, I THINK ABOUT HALF OF THEM AREN'T PRINCIPLED IN ANYTHING, BUT CHRIS CHRISTIE'S CASE, PARTICULARLY, HE'S BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT HIS FEELINGS ON DONALD TRUMP, SO THIS ISN'T SOME WEAK KNEED APPROACH. BUT IF YOU'RE RUNNING AGAINST THE GUY TO BEAT HIM, AND YOU JUST COME OUT AND SAY THAT THESE CASES ARE THE WAY TO GET RID OF DONALD TRUMP, I THINK IT MAKES YOU LOOK WEAK, IT DOES NOT HELP WITH THE BASE. IT DOESN'T HELP WITH THE ELECTION. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM A LEGAL QUESTION, ULTIMATELY, THAT'S A SUPREME COURT DECISION. I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY GOOD FOR DONALD TRUMP POLITICALLY, BECAUSE HE'S A PROFESSIONAL VICTIM, A PROFESSIONAL WINE, OR BELLYACHE OR. AND THIS ALLOWS HIM TO FEED MORE INTO. THAT FEED INTO THAT VICTIMS NARRATIVE. I THINK HIS OPPONENTS ARE SAYING WHAT THEY NEED TO SAY ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR NOW. >> WELL, TO THAT POINT, LET'S LISTEN, BASIL, TO CHRIS CHRISTIE, WHO, IS AS A CONGRESSMAN NOTES, THE EXCEPTION, AS A RULE, HE DOES NOT PULL PUNCHES WITH DONALD TRUMP. LET'S LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID ABOUT TRUMP WHEN IT COMES TO HOW THIS IS HELPING HIM OUT. >> IT MAKES HIM A MARTYR. YOU KNOW, HE IS VERY GOOD AT PLAYING POOR ME, POOR ME. HE'S ALWAYS COMPLAINING. THE POOR BILLIONAIRE FROM NEW YORK, WHO SPENDS EVERYONE ELSE'S MONEY TO PAY HIS LEGAL FEES. FOR ME. >> DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER WAY AROUND THAT? BASIL, OF THIS HELPING TRUMP WHEN IT COMES TO HIS OPPONENTS LOOKING FOR SOME ALTERNATIVE? >> NO, I THINK TO THE CONGRESS MEMBER'S POINT, YOU KNOW, THEY -- THERE IS THIS RUSH FOR SOME OF THE CANDIDATES, SOME REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES TO TRY TO FIND SOME WAY TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM DONALD TRUMP. SOME OF DOUBT IT, WELL LIKE CHRIS CHRISTIE, OTHERS NOT SO MUCH. SO WHEN THEY ALL COME OUT AND SAY THAT, IN SOME WAY, THEY SUPPORT DONALD TRUMP IN THIS, THEY ACT AS HIS SURROGATE. THAT IS ALL GOOD FOR DONALD TRUMP. THE FACT THAT, HE THAT TRUMP HAS SAID, FOR SO MUCH TIME, NOT SO MANY MONTHS, THAT HE IS A MARTYR, WHEN HE GOES TO HIS SUPPORTERS AND SAYS, I'M DOING THIS FOR YOU, I'M GOING THROUGH THIS FOR YOU, THAT LANGUAGE, THAT NARRATIVE IS WHAT BUILD THE CASE FOR HIM THAT HE IS BEING MURDERED, AND THAT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS UNFAIRLY TARGETING HIM. THAT IS RED MEAT FOR HIS BASE, FOR HIS BASE. I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE GOP CANDIDATES FOR THE NOMINATION ARE GOING TO -- THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA GET ANY VOTES BUT THEY WILL KEEP FROM GETTING LAMBASTED BY MEGA SUPPORTERS, BY SAYING THIS. AND SO, I JUST THINK THAT THEY LOOK LIKE TRUMP SUPPORTERS AND ALL OF THIS. IT IS STILL ALL GOOD FOR DONALD TRUMP. >> DAVID, I WONDER IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE FLIP SIDE OF THIS, THAT WE COULD START TO SEE REPUBLICAN STATES TRYING TO KEEP JOE BIDEN OFF THE BALLOT IN 2024. IT MAY BE OTHER DEMOCRATS IN FUTURE ELECTIONS. >> LOOK, EVERY NORM THAT YOU SHRED IS HARD TO REASSEMBLE. SO THERE'S ALWAYS THAT CONCERN. BUT JUST GENERALLY HERE, I WOULD SAY THAT I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT TRUMP, A LOT OF THE MOTIVATION FOR HIS CANDIDACY WAS AS A LEGAL DEFENSE STRATEGY. HE KNEW THAT HE WAS IN JEOPARDY OF BEING INDICTED ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS. ANY WANTED TO SET UP A CONSTRUCT THAT HAS WORKED VERY WELL FOR HIM. WHICH SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE COMING AFTER HIM BECAUSE HE IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. THEY'RE TRYING TO PREVENT HIM FROM BEING PRESIDENT. AND THIS OF COURSE IS THE MOST BLATANT EXAMPLE IN HIS TELLING, THAT A, A STATE ELECTED OFFICIAL IN MAINE CAN THROW HIM OFF THE BALLOT, THAT A COURT IN COLORADO CAN -- ALL OF THIS IS STRENGTHENING HIM IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY. WE'VE RUN THIS EXPERIMENT. HE HAS ONLY GAINED SINCE HE STARTED GETTING INDICTED. YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT BE KRYPTONITE FOR HIM IS TURNED OUT TO BE BATTERY PACKS. AND THIS IS A BIG ONE FOR HIM. PRESUMABLY, THE SUPREME COURT WILL DEAL WITH IT FAIRLY QUICKLY. AND I EXPECT THAT THEY WILL LEAVE HIM ON THE BALLOT. AND YES, BREONNA, I HAVE VERY, VERY STRONG RESERVATIONS ABOUT ALL OF THIS. I DO THINK IT WOULD RIP THE COUNTRY APART IF HE WERE ACTUALLY PREVENTED FROM RUNNING. BECAUSE TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WANT TO VOTE FOR HIM. I THINK IF YOU'RE GONNA BEAT DONALD TRUMP, YOU'RE GONNA PROBABLY HAVE TO DO IT AT THE POLLS. >> WHAT ABOUT THE ISSUE -- RHONDA SANTA SUGGESTED AGAIN TODAY HE WOULD PARDON TRUMP IF HE'S ELECTED. NIKKI HALEY ALSO SAID YESTERDAY, THAT SHE WOULD PARDON TRUMP TO HELP MOVE THE COUNTRY FORWARD. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, WHEN YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THINGS RIPPING THE COUNTRY APART? I SEE THE CONGRESSMAN SHAKING HIS HEAD. I WANT ALL OF YOU IN ON THIS, BUT DAVID, TO FIRST REALLY QUICK. >> WELL, LOOK, I THINK THAT IT IS GOOD POLITICS FOR THEM. BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH CATERING TO THE TRUMP BASE. AND I THINK THAT IS A LARGE MOTIVATION FOR THEM. I SAW ADAM SHAKING HIS HEAD, AND I UNDERSTAND WHY. I KNOW HOW PASSIONATE HE IS, AS I AM ABOUT WHAT TRUMP DID TO THE COUNTRY. I DO THINK IT'S A REAL QUESTION AS TO WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO ACTUALLY IMPRISON A FORMER PRESIDENT, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA WEIGH HEAVILY ON THE NEXT PRESIDENTS MIND. AND ON THE MIND OF SENTENCING JUDGES, IF HE'S EVER CONVICTED. BUT YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT WE SHOULD SAY IS THAT HE MAY NEVER GET THERE IF HE IS SUCCESSFUL IN DELAYING THESE TRIALS UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION. I THINK THAT IS A STRATEGY. >> AND I WANT TO GET YOU ALL IN ON THIS. IF YOU COULD ANSWER QUICKLY, CONGRESSMAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> YEAH, I MEAN, I JUST THINK -- IF YOU'RE GONNA PARDON HIM, FINE, WHATEVER, THEY SHOULDN'T, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, NIKKI HALEY, IT'S DISTRESSING THAT SHE WOULD PARDON TRUMP, NOT RULING OUT THAT SHE -- LIKE WHAT IS SHE RUNNING AS? WHAT THAT IS THE POINT. ELISE SAY, IT'LL GIVE IT SOME TIME, SEES THE SITUATION, NOT JUST, LIKE YES, I'M GONNA PARDON HIM. YOU DON'T KNOW THE EVIDENCE. >> BASIL, WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> YOU, KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA SAY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO PARDON HIM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU ARE ALSO SAYING THAT HE'S BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY IN THE COURT, MY FEELING IS, WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AGAINST HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHERE ARE YOU DIFFERENTIATING YOURSELF FROM HIM? I THINK IT WOULD BE HORRIBLE FOR THE COUNTRY IF HE WERE TO BE PARDONED. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS? VOTERS WILL BE THINKING, AND PAYING ATTENTI
