>> THERE IS ANGST ACROSS THE WESTERN WORLD, AND IT IS DRIVING APPROVAL RATINGS OF ALL LEADERS DOWN. >> FOR SURE. >>> LET'S GO TO CAPITOL HILL NOW. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL BE IN WASHINGTON TODAY WHERE HE IS SET TO MEET WITH REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE HILL. A SENIOR TRUMP CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL TELLS NBC NEWS THE MEETINGS WILL BE FOCUSED ON POLICY, ZOOMING IN ON SOCIAL SECURITY, TAXES, BORDER SECURITY, AND A, QUOTE, AMERICA FIRST FOREIGN POLICY. WHILE TRUMP'S VISIT IS BEING PRESENTED AS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT BY SOME IN SENATE LEADERSHIP, SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS, LISA MURKOWSKI, AND MITT ROMNEY WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE MEETING. ALL THREE CLAIMED THEY HAVE CONFLICTING PLANS. SENATE MINORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL WILL ATTEND, GIVING HIM HIS FIRST FACE-TO-FACE WITH TRUMP SINCE 2020. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT THE MINORITY LEADER SAID YESTERDAY WHEN ASKED IF HE WOULD CONFRONT THE FORMER PRESIDENT. >> YOU KNOW, I SAID THREE YEARS AGO, RIGHT AFTER THE CAPITOL WAS ATTACKED, THAT I WOULD SUPPORT OUR NOMINEE REGARDLESS OF WHO IT WAS, INCLUDING HIM. I'VE SAID EARLIER THIS YEAR I SUPPORT HIM. HE'S BEEN EARNED THE NOMINATION BY THE VOTERS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OF COURSE, I'LL BE AT THE MEETING TOMORROW. >> THAT'LL BE AN INTERESTING DYNAMIC, MARK LEIBOVICH, TO SEE McCONNELL THERE WITH DONALD TRUMP. DONALD TRUMP GOING TO VISIT THE OFFICE BUILDINGS, WILL NOT BE AT THE CAPITOL. OBVIOUSLY, JANUARY 6th HANGS HEAVY OVER THIS VISIT EVEN THOUGH THE PRESIDENT WAS NOT TECHNICALLY AT THE CAPITOL THAT DAY. HE HELD THE RALLY THAT DROVE THE PEOPLE THERE. SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TODAY? WHAT IS THE DYNAMIC AT PLAY, OTHER THAN ALL OF THESE REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE FALLEN IN LINE, SAVE FOR THE SMALL HANDFUL WHO HAVE CONFLICTING SCHEDULES, PERHAPS A ROOT CANAL FOR MITT ROMNEY? >> YEAH, I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, IT IS NOTABLE THAT McCONNELL KEPT REFERRING TO TRUMP AS "HIM." I DON'T THINK HE MENTIONED HIS NAME ONCE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THE CAPITOL WAS ATTACKED. I ALSO THINK WITH THE DYNAMIC THIS THESE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HEAR COMING IN THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S AIDES SAY THEY EXPECT THE MEETINGS TO BE ABOUT POLICY. YEAH, THAT'S ALWAYS TRUE WHEN TRUMP'S MEETINGS ARE INVOLVED. >> WONK. >> REALLY IN THE WEEDS ON THIS. BUT, I MEAN, LOOK, I THINK THIS WILL BE, I ASSUME, WHEN HE IS WITH THE OTHER REPUBLICANS, A COMPLETE SHOW OF SYCOPHANCY, WHICH IS WHAT THE PARTY HAS BECOME. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN IGNORE -- I ASSUME THEY WILL -- BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU IGNORE THE FACT THIS IS ALL TAKING PLACE IN WHAT WAS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE GREAT PLACES OF DISGRACE OF HIS PRESIDENCY, IF NOT THE, AND THAT'S WHERE HE LEFT WASHINGTON. I MEAN, WHEN HE TOOK OFF FROM THE WHITE HOUSE 3 1/2 YEARS AGO, I MEAN, THE CAPITOL HAD JUST BEEN SIEGED. YOU KNOW, HE CAME -- IT HAPPENED THE SAME DAY THAT JOE BIDEN WAS INAUGURATED, THE SAME PLACE THAT HE, YOU KNOW, WAS CALLING FOR AN ATTACK ON. LOOK, THE SYNERGY HERE, THE SORT OF SYMMETRY OF IT ALL HAPPENING WILL BE NOTABLE. I EXPECT THE SAME THING, THOUGH, A FALLING IN LINE, A KISSING OF THE RING OVER HOWEVER LONG THE MEETING GOES ON FOR. THEY WON'T BE TALKING ABOUT POLICY. >> JOINING US NOW, CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT ALI VITALI WHO WILL BE COVERING THE MEETINGS. WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT TODAY? WHAT IS CONGRESS PREPARING FOR? >> TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL WHEN MITCH McCONNELL WALKS INTO THAT MEETING WITH THE FORMER PRESIDENT, WILLIE. YOU GUYS ARE SO RIGHT TO POINT OUT THE AWKWARDNESS OF THIS. AS SOMEONE WHO IS IN THE CAPITOL ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY, TO ASK SENATOR McCONNELL ANY KIND OF QUESTION AROUND TRUMP IS TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME KIND OF VERY TENSE ANSWER THAT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM TO SAY THE THING THAT WE KNOW IS AT THE HEART OF THIS, WHICH IS WHAT McCONNELL SAID IN THE AFTERMATH OF JANUARY 6th WHEN HE SAID, AND I'M QUOTING, THAT TRUMP WAS PRACTICALLY AND MORALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVOKING WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6th. I DON'T THINK WE CAN STRESS ENOUGH HERE THE WAYS IN WHICH THE INSURRECTION STILL HANGS OVER THE CAPITOL EVERY SINGLE DAY. IT DOESN'T JUST TAKE THE FORMER PRESIDENT COMING UP THERE TO REMIND OF THE ROLL HE PLAYED IN IT OR THE WAY IT HAPPENED. IT IS THE REASON WE SEE HIGH LEVELS OF VITRIOL IN THE HALLWAYS OF CONGRESS. WHEN DEMOCRATS POINT TO THE OTHER SIDE, IT'S THE THING THEY CONTINUE TO COME BACK TO AND WHY IT IS SO HARD TO FIND BIPARTISANSHIP. I KNOW IT WAS THIS WAY BEFORE, BUT THE ROLE OF THE INSURRECTION IS STILL SO PALPABLE JUST IN THE WAY CONGRESS FUNCTIONS OR, RATHER, DOESN'T THESE DAYS. I DON'T THINK WE CAN UNDERSCORE THAT ENOUGH. ON THE POLICY PIECE OF THIS, I THINK WE'RE ALL RIGHT TO SORT OF SHRUG OUR SHOULDERS WHEN WE HEAR LAWMAKERS SAY THAT THE FOCUS OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S MEETING IS GOING TO BE ABOUT POLICY. TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WILL BE, I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL LAWMAKERS, INCLUDING THE SPEAKER, WHO SAY WE WANT TO BE PREPARED IF HE WINS AGAIN. THEY FELL FLAT FOOTED THE LAST TIME. TAXES, OF COURSE, IS GOING TO BE HUGE. >> YEAH, IT IS STRIKING, TOO, THE LAST TIME WE WERE THINKING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP ON JANUARY 6th, 2021, AROUND THE CAPITOL ANYWAY, MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE CHASING HIM THROUGH THE HALLS AND TRYING TO SIT AT HIS FEET ON THIS DAY WERE CONDEMNING HIM ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE THAT DAY. >>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CONTEMPT VOTE IN THE HOUSE. 216-207 WAS THE VOTE TO HOLD THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, MERRICK GARLAND, IN CONTEMPT BECAUSE HE WILL NOT RELEASE THE AUDIO TAPES OF THE SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW PRESIDENT BIDEN HELD WITH THE SPECIAL COUNSEL. WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THIS UNFOLDED? >> WON'T RELEASE THE TAPES, WILLIE, BUT, REMEMBER, THE COMMITTEES THAT WANT THE TAPES ALSO ALREADY HAVE THE TRANSCRIPTS. THEY'RE STILL PUSHING FOR THEM. WHAT THE SPEAKER TOLD US IN THE MINUTES AFTER THIS VOTE LAST NIGHT, WHICH PASSED ALONG PARTY LINES WITH ONLY ONE REPUBLICAN VOTING AGAINST IT, THE SPEAKER SAID TO ME EARLIER IN THE DAY AND THEN TO REPORTERS AFTER, THE HOUSE DID ITS JOB TODAY. HE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO PUT THIS MESSAGE OUT THERE. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, BACKED UP BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, IS EXERTING EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER THIS AUDIO. THE DOJ LAMBASTED THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS LAST NIGHT FOR TURNING SOMETHING THAT THEY SAY IS AN IMPORTANT CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY INTO SOMETHING THAT'S PARTISAN. BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS NOTABLE FOR THE ONE REPUBLICAN, CONGRESSMAN DAVE JOYCE OF OHIO WHO VOTED AGAINST THIS, IN A STATEMENT HE EXPLAINED WHY, AND I'LL READ IT TO YOU IN PART. HE SAYS THAT AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR HIMSELF, HE CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIOUS SUPPORT A RESOLUTION THAT WOULD FURTHER POLITICIZE OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EXCEPT CONGRESS TO WORK FOR THEM, SOLVE POLICY PROBLEMS, AND SHOW GOOD GOVERNANCE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. AS SOON AS THEY ASSUMED GAVEL POUR, THEY SAID OVERSIGHT OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT
