Full Episode: Sunday, February 8, 2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: "This Week with George Stephanopoulos"

Episode: Sunday, February 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode covers an eventful week dominated by:

• The fallout from President Trump's racist social media post
• Alarming actions and rhetoric by Trump regarding US elections
• The mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie (Savannah Guthrie’s mother)
• A bipartisan discussion of US immigration, critical infrastructure standoffs, and coming access to the “Epstein Files”
• Roundtable reactions from major political commentators

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1. Disappearance of Nancy Guthrie (00:00–07:38)

Key Developments and Investigation Updates

• Background: Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home eight days prior with no suspects or video evidence.
• Family's Message: Guthrie family released a plea to the supposed kidnappers, expressing willingness to pay for her safe return.
  • Patrick McHenry (reading the plea): “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her” (02:45)
  • Sarah Isgur: “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay” (02:51)
• Law Enforcement Update: FBI and Pima County Sheriff are analyzing a note sent to a Tucson TV station, but haven’t validated its authenticity; no “proof of life” provided so far.
  • Aaron Katerski: “It’s clear the Guthrie family is grasping at anything that could bring the 84-year-old in fragile health home to them one way or another.” (03:14)
• Expert Analysis:
  • Brad Garrett (former FBI): "You don't really have some of the same elements in this case that you may in what I would call a traditional kidnapping...This is kind of a one way street..." (05:27)
  • Brad expresses concern that ransom may be paid with no certainty of Nancy’s status; sometimes ransoms are paid, and the victim is not returned.

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2. Trump’s Rhetoric and Threats to US Elections (07:38–22:48)

Trump's Push to “Nationalize” Elections

• Trump’s Statements: The President called on Republicans to “take over the voting” in certain states and to "nationalize voting", even proposing federal control over traditionally state-run elections.
  • Quoted: “The Republicans should say we want to take over. We should take over the voting...nationalize the voting.” (08:39)
• Backlash:
  • Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate leader John Thune (both Republicans) voiced opposition, emphasizing the Constitution assigns control to the states.
  • The White House and Trump’s team offered conflicting explanations for the comments.
• Fulton County, Georgia, FBI Raid:
  • Ongoing investigation into ballot handling; controversy over Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at the FBI’s Fulton County raid.
  • Sarah Isgur: “Could you please explain Tulsi Gabbard’s role in DOJ activity regarding the Fulton county search?” (10:37)
  • DOJ at first claims Gabbard was coincidentally in town; later admits her presence was requested by Trump, but then Trump claims he doesn't know why she’s there.
  • Gabbard’s office apparently oversaw examination of voting machines related to conspiracy theories.

Concerns Over Undermining Democracy

• Adam Schiff (D, CA) Interview:
  • On Trump’s “nationalize the elections” comments:
    • "He is basically telling us he intends to interfere in this upcoming election...The best protection we have is to mobilize the largest voter turnout in US History." (13:36–15:00)
  • Warns that Republicans might quietly go along with illegal overreach and courts, especially the Supreme Court, may not check Trump’s actions.
  • Worries DNI involvement is unprecedented and signals attempt to intimidate or manipulate electoral outcomes:
    • "Why is the Director of Intelligence, who has no role in domestic law enforcement there? What is the President personally doing on the phone with FBI agents during a raid? All of this is unprecedented."(17:16)
• Election Disinformation:
  • Reaction to Sen. Tommy Tuberville pushing unsupported claims of voting machine fraud.
  • Schiff: "This is just the latest iteration of the big lie. He is laying the foundation to challenge the results in November if they go against the President and his party." (19:12)

Voter ID and SAVE Act Debate

• Photo ID:
  • Democrats argue requiring government-issued ID (proposed in the Republican “SAVE Act”) would disenfranchise millions lacking required documentation.
  • Schiff: “This is another way to simply try to suppress the vote...the last thing I think we want to do is discourage more people, more citizens from voting...” (22:08)

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3. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler Interview (24:05–33:10)

Condemnation of Trump’s Racist Post

• Lawler’s Response:
  • Quick to denounce Trump’s meme using racist imagery against the Obamas.
    • "The president's post is wrong and incredibly offensive, whether intentional or a mistake and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered." (24:45)
    • "I think sometimes it's just best to say I'm sorry and do better."
  • Lawler reiterates the importance of acknowledging historical racism and moving forward, regardless of intent.

Trump’s Quid-Pro-Quo on Infrastructure Funds

• The Episode: Trump offered to unfreeze $16 billion for Penn Station and Dulles Airport infrastructure on the condition they be renamed after him.
  • Lawler: “At the end of the day, to me, I really could care less what the name of a building or critical infrastructure project is. I care that it gets done...work it out.” (29:37)
  • Lawler blames Sen. Schumer for the funding freeze but acknowledges the need for negotiation and compromise.

Immigration Reform Proposal

• Lawler’s Dignity Act
  • Focus on creating a legal status, but not citizenship, for long-term undocumented immigrants, with requirements: paying fines, taxes, no criminal activity, and no government benefits.
    • "It's not amnesty; it's not just letting people stay...They would forego citizenship—they would not get the right to vote. They would, however, have a legal pathway." (32:54)
  • Lawler claims bipartisan support and frames it as a realistic and compassionate path forward.

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4. Roundtable Analysis & Political Panel (34:11–44:57)

Trump's Racist Social Media Post—Fallout and Party Responses

• Donna Brazile:
  • "I feel more sorrow than rage...This was a deliberate act. The president still believes he can divide us...but he's not going to be able to destroy us."(34:50)
• Chris Christie:
  • Emphasizes that character matters above all: “Character is the most important issue...his lack of character leads to us not being able to accomplish the issues we care about.” (36:19)
• Patrick McHenry:
  • Notes this meme caused the first real break between Trump and Senate Republicans—comparisons to earlier Trump terms point to fallout's significance. (38:31)

Election Control Debate—A History of Shifting Party Positions

• Sarah Isgur:
  • Notes parties have swapped stances on federal control of elections; constitution explicitly gives states control.
    • “Democrats are discovering federalism...And it's Republicans now who seem to have a very short memory...” (39:52)
• Chris Christie:
  • On Trump’s assertion that states are “agents of the federal government”:
    • “We are not agents of the federal government, and in fact, the reason why the states are in charge is for the very reason that Trump says he wants, which is, he wants fair elections.” (41:50)
• Donna Brazile:
  • Emphasizes Democratic reforms aim to protect rights, not restrict: "The freedom to vote should be at the center of our democracy..." (40:59)

Signs of Republican Worry Ahead of Midterms

• Patrick McHenry:
  • Cites recent 31-point electoral swing in Texas, cautioning that Republican losses in special elections could signal bigger shifts.
    • "It's happening all over the country...It's immigration and it's affordability that are the driving forces." (43:05)

Epstein Files to be Unredacted for Congress

• Sarah Isgur and Chris Christie:
  • Skeptical about whether continued focus on Epstein files helps Republicans, noting the issue is about turnout and enthusiasm, not voter conversion, and may be a distraction from core issues.
    • "Trump's the guy like the dog who caught the garbage truck...He was chasing this Epstein thing all through his political campaign and now, oh, damn, now I have to do something about it." (44:40–44:55)

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5. Super Bowl Preview (46:02–49:06)

• Discussion of the Super Bowl matchup: Seahawks vs. Patriots
  • Quarterbacks: Sam Darnold (comeback story for Seattle) vs. Drake May (NFL’s youngest Super Bowl starter for New England)
  • Coaches: Mike Vrabel (Patriots’ head coach and former player) vs. Mike McDonald (defensive mastermind for Seattle)
  • Whit Johnson: “If [Drake May] wins today, he will be the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl.” (47:14)
  • Rematch of the notorious 2015 Super Bowl, remembered for Seattle’s goal-line interception and hunger for redemption.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Adam Schiff (About Trump’s election tactics):
  "He is basically telling us he intends to interfere in this upcoming election...The best protection we have is to mobilize the largest voter turnout in US History." (15:00)
• Mike Lawler (On Trump's racist post):
  "I think sometimes it's just best to say I'm sorry and do better. And I think, you know, given the situation, I'm glad they deleted it. But that type of meme or, you know, implication is wrong." (24:45)
• Chris Christie (On leadership):
  "Character is the most important issue...his lack of character leads to us not being able to accomplish the issues that we care about either." (36:19)
• Donna Brazile (On America’s resilience):
  "The president still believes that he can divide us and detract us. He's not going to be able to destroy us. You know why? Because this country was founded on principles that people believe in that we still want to accept." (34:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Nancy Guthrie Disappearance / Family Plea | 00:00–07:38 | | Trump’s Election Comments & Fulton County Raid | 07:38–22:48 | | Adam Schiff Interview | 13:36–22:48 | | Mike Lawler Interview | 24:05–33:10 | | Roundtable Analysis (Trump's Racist Post et al)| 34:11–44:57 | | Super Bowl Preview | 46:02–49:06 |

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Tone and Style

The podcast maintains a sober, urgent tone as it addresses threats to democracy, racism at the highest political levels, and the fragile state of national unity. The roundtable is lively, sometimes pointed, with bipartisan recognition of abnormality in recent events.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This was a week of high controversy: a racist video from the White House, rising fear over election subversion, a major kidnapping mystery, and fierce debates about what it means to protect American democracy and character. The show synthesized newsmaker interviews, real-time law enforcement insights, and sharp analysis from both sides of the aisle, offering essential context on U.S. political turmoil heading into the midterms.

Transcript

[John King]

It was a wild week, even for the Trump era. The president shared a racist social media post. We learned he tried to leverage $16 billion in federal funding to get Penn Station and Dulles Airport named after himself. And he called on Republicans to, quote, take over the voting in elections this week starts right now. If a state can't run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it. President Trump's calls for Republicans to, quote, nationalized the voting sparked bipartisan backlash.

[Brad Garrett]

I think I'd rather stand on the

[John King]

high ground of states rights.

[Mike Lawler]

He wants totalitarian control over our election.

[John King]

And why was the director of National Intelligence at last week's FBI raid of a Fulton county election office, Democrats sounded the alarm. This threat to our election security, the

[Brad Garrett]

basic premise of our democracy is forward

[John King]

looking and widespread condemnation.

[Chris Christie]

This disgusting video posted by the so called president was done intentionally.

[John King]

The president posts and 12 hours later deletes an overtly racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama. But he refuses to apologize. You know, I didn't make a mistake. I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine. This morning, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Congressman Mike Lawlor. And Congress gets a look at unredacted Epstein files. Starting tomorrow morning, the roundtable on what to expect plus desperate search. We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is very valuable to us and we will pay the family's latest message as the urgent search for Nancy Guthrie enters its eighth day.

[Jonathan Karl]

From ABC News, it's this Week. Here now, Jonathan Karl,

[John King]

Good morning. Welcome to this week. We'll get to the news here in Washington in a moment, but we begin with the latest developments in the mysterious disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of our colleague at NBC and my good friend, Savannah Guthrie. It's now eight days since the 84 year old mother and grandmother was taken from her Tucson, Arizona home in the middle of the night with still virtually no clues about her whereabouts as we pray for her safe return. Overnight, Savannah and her siblings released a new message titled bring her Home. It directly addresses whoever took their mother. Take a listen. We received your message and we understand.

[Patrick McHenry]

We beg you now to return our

[Sarah Isgur]

mother to us so that we can celebrate with her.

[John King]

This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us and we will pay. For the very latest on the investigation. Let's bring in ABC's Aaron Katerski who joins us live from Tucson. Aaron, what are your law enforcement sources telling you about this latest video?

[Jonathan Karl]

When Savannah Guthrie, John, references receiving A message. She's talking about a note that was received from a Tucson television station on Friday evening. And the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department have been analyzing that message from Nancy Guthrie's supposed kidnapper. As yet, they have not been able to validate its authenticity. But, John, it's clear the Guthrie family is grasping at anything that could bring the 84 year old in fragile health home to them one way or another. And Savannah's post, just like the family's previous posts, included carefully calibrated, deliberate language not to antagonize any captors, but to show a degree of seriousness, they promised to pay to bring their mother home.

[John King]

What else have investigators been looking at this week? And have they seen any. Has there been any proof of life offered by the supposed abductors here?

[Jonathan Karl]

There has been no proof of life at all. And we've talked to the sheriff here about that, John. He says he believes that she is alive. But that is a belief based on hope and on a positivity to keep detectives and investigators engaged and optimistic. The family is clearly frustrated by the lack of developments. We've seen the FBI back here at the house this week. They were on the roof inspecting cameras. They towed a car. They were going door to door in the neighborhood. They were tracking a possible vehicle of interest that may have been spotted during a narrow 45 minute window in the wee hours of last Sunday morning when police believe Nancy Guthrie was taken. But John, there are no suspects, there is no video, and crucially, no proof that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.

[John King]

All right, thank you, Aaron. Let's bring in former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett. Brad, you have been involved in many hostage negotiations in your time at the FBI. What is your read based on these latest developments about where this stands?

[Brad Garrett]

So what's interesting, John, is that you don't really have some of the same elements in this case that you may in it, I would call a traditional kidnapping. Someone's taken, they contact the folks that could have money potentially, and they work that out. There's a give and take and a give and take. This is not even designed or set up to do give and take, either direction either from the bad guys or to the Guthrie family. And so as a result, this is kind of a one way street in a way of the bad guys basically saying you need to do X, you need to do Y. We'll give you a little bit of information that we do have your mother and you're going to pay us X or there'd be consequences. Which I assume would be death.

[John King]

Do you, do you think that those messages are actually from the people that took her and is your read that they think the FBI thinks they're real?

[Brad Garrett]

I think maybe. I think is the best answer because I haven't heard. They're not sharing with us obviously, how they've been able to validate date these notes one way or the other. But you're talking about IP addresses that maybe they've been able to do something with. If you're really good at covering that, it could take some time to get to. In other words, who sent the messages?

[John King]

Yeah. Where did they.

[Brad Garrett]

Exactly.

[John King]

You know, one thing that we've heard about the messages is they set a deadline of sometime tomorrow to get the ransom or consequences we paid. You've been in these negotiations. How do you, how do you handle the approaching deadline like that?

[Brad Garrett]

Well, you know, ultimately it's up to the family as to whether the money gets paid or not. And so as a result, I think Savannah said that they're, you know, they're willing to pay. So is that going to happen? Are they ever going to get proof of life? It's, you know, it's, you wouldn't want them to pay it until you get proof of life. But I'm not convinced if these notes are legitimate that they'll ever see proof alive. She may pay it and not see her mother.

[John King]

How often does that happen?

[Brad Garrett]

It has happened. It has happened where there's, you know, it was, you know, the actual kidnappers, they took a person and then they got the ransom and then they left.

[John King]

All right, Brad Garrett, Aaron Katerski, thank you to both of you. We turn now to President Trump's calls this weekend for Republicans to, quote, take over the voting and, and to nationalize elections. The latest in Trump's long running obsession with overturning the election that he lost in 2020 to Joe Biden. But Trump's words this week are raising questions about what he's planning to do and whether he will try to interfere with the midterm elections coming up this November. Donald Trump made it crystal clear this week that he still hasn't gotten over losing the 2020 election. Even at the National Prayer Breakfast, he was talking about it, offering a new reason he cannot accept that he lost. They rigged the second election. I had to win it. Had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life. In fact, Trump not only lost that election, he lost some 60 times in court attempting to overturn his loss. Now he's taking extraordinary new actions related to 2020 that have serious implications for. For the next election. In an interview with his former deputy FBI director this week, he called on Republicans to take over elections in places he had lost. The Republicans should say we want to take over. We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. Nationalize the voting. Republicans in Congress, even the Trump loyal Speaker of the House quickly said they didn't want that to happen. And, and the White House said that's not really what Trump meant. And then he said it again. A state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don't know why the federal government doesn't do them anyway. So what's going on here? The Constitution says states control the times, places, and manner of holding elections and that Congress can make changes, but there's no role for the president or the executive branch. Which brings us to Fulton County, Georgia, because I got you one way or the other.

[Adam Schiff]

The records are coming with us today.

[John King]

County officials there this week sued the federal government to get their ballots and other records back. They were taken by the FBI. And yet another attempt by Trump to challenge his loss there in 2020.

[Chris Christie]

If they believe that Fulton county is a hotbed of fraud, why are they only looking at the 2020 election? Why not look at the 2024 election where he won? Why not look at the 2016 election where he won? Right. Because he likes the outcome.

[John King]

And remember, Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp has repeatedly said Trump's claims of election rigging are false writing in 2023. The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen and our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair. One of the mysteries about the FBI raid in Fulton county is why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was there. At first, the Department of Justice suggested she just happened to be in town.

[Sarah Isgur]

Could you please explain Tulsi Gabbard's role

[Brad Garrett]

in DOJ activity regarding the Fulton county search?

[John King]

What do you mean, her role?

[Sarah Isgur]

It was reported that she happened to

[Whit Johnson]

be present in Atlanta.

[John King]

I mean, yes, I saw the same photos you did. But on Monday, Gabbard told members of Congress her presence was requested by the president. Two days later, President Trump said he had no idea why she was there. I'm not involved in it, but they are inspecting and checking the bell. Why is Tulsi Gabbard there? I don't know. Very next day, Trump said it was the attorney general who sent her. She took a Lot of heat two days ago because she went in at Pam's insistence. She went in and she looked at votes that came, as we learned this week, that Gabbard's office oversaw an examination of voting machines. And in Puerto Rico last year, pursuing a bizarre and debunked claim that the machines were rigged by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, who died years before the 2020 election. Again, why does it matter? Because most US intelligence agencies, by law, have no role in domestic law enforcement. So what's going on? Democrats claim Trump is really laying the groundwork to undermine upcoming elections.

[Brad Garrett]

Here's a guy that was obsessed about

[John King]

losing in 2020, obsessed about losing in

[Brad Garrett]

Georgia, and I believe they may be

[John King]

intending to interfere in our elections in 26 and 28. At least one prominent Trump ally who regularly talks to the president says that's exactly what should happen on his show, the War Room. And President Trump has to nationalize the election. You got to put not just, I think, ice. You got to call up the 82nd, 101st Airborne on the Insurrection Act. You got to get around every poll. Bannon's words there echo something Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, called for in 20 within the swing states. If he wanted to, he could take military capabilities and he could place them in those states and basically rerun an election in each of those states. Trump didn't do it in 2020, and the White House insists the president has no plans to deploy either ICE or the military to polling places in November. But with the FBI raid in Fulton county, the Trump administration is already taking steps it did not take in 2020. Back then, he wanted his then Attorney General, Bill Barr, to seize ballots and voting machines, but Barr refused, saying the election was free and fair. Now Trump has an attorney general willing to go along, and he's talking about nationalizing elections with no clear explanation of what that would mean. And I'm joined now by Senator Adam Schiff of California. Senator, what does he mean? What do you think he means when he says nationalize the elections, or specifically that Republicans should take control of the voting?

[Adam Schiff]

I think if he intends to try to subvert the elections, he will do everything he can to suppress the vote. And if he loses the vote, and I think the Republicans now expect they'll get a real drubbing in the midterms, he's prepared to try to take some kind of action to overturn the result, and we really shouldn't question that. We saw him try to the point of insurrection to overturn the 2020 election. We see him now taking these extraordinary steps with an election now five years ago, he's basically telling us he intends to interfere in this upcoming election. He hasn't brought prices down. There's chaos and killing in American streets by ICE agents. The public has turned against him. In every election we've had since his election, the voters have swung wildly against him. And as you know, he said at that prayer breakfast, his ego cannot stand another loss. So we have to prepare for the worst. We have to prepare in every way we can. And frankly, the best preparation we have is not the Congress, because Republican senators, for the most part, are not going to stand up to him. The courts are useful at the lower levels, but at the Supreme Court, they have left him unrestrained. The best protection we have is to mobilize the largest voter turnout in US History to so overwhelm the vote and get the kind of margins we saw in Texas in that special election so that there's no way they can cheat.

[John King]

But on this idea of, quote, nationalizing the elections, obviously the Constitution says the states control the elections. Congress could have a role. Congress can change those regulations, the Constitution tells us. But Thune, the Senate leader, Republican Senate leader, and Johnson, the Speaker of the House, Republican speaker of the House, have both said that they oppose this. So given that set of facts, there's nothing that Trump can do legally, is there to, quote, nationalize the elections?

[Adam Schiff]

Well, this depends on a couple of things. It depends on whether the Republican leaders you just quoted really hold fast to that. And time after time, we have seen them initially make statements of willingness to stand up to the president and his lawlessness, in this case is a willful defiance of the Constitution, but we've seen that melt away. But also, this is a president more than willing to act lawlessly, more than willing, I think, as we see in Georgia, to deploy the Director of National Intelligence, who has no role in elections whatsoever. Her job is to oversee the work of the intelligence agencies outward, focusing on foreign threats, not to create a threat to our domestic tranquility by interfering in elections, but that's what they're doing. So, you know, we cannot ignore what they're telling us they're going to do, because time and time again, we have seen that they're willing to go to extraordinary and lawless lengths. The last best hope for our democracy is not going to be the Congress or the court. It's going to be the American people. And the American people are speaking out and they are protesting, and they're going to turn out, I hope, in the most Massive numbers in November.

[John King]

You're been involved in intelligence. You were the chair of the Intelligence Committee in the House. Can you explain why is it concerning that the Director of National Intelligence would not only be present for an FBI raid of this, you know, to get the ballots in Georgia, but also there at a meeting with FBI agents and, and putting the President of the United States on the phone during that meeting? Explain to us why this is of concern.

[Adam Schiff]

Well, this is alarming at every level. First of all, why is the FBI conducting a raid five years after the fact when there were three recounts in Georgia? Why are they even there? And remember, this is the site of the election in which the President called Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State, the Republican Secretary of State, and Demanded he find 11,780 votes that don't exist. So what are they doing there now? Are they going to manufacture some claim, having seized ballot boxes, that there were in fact 11,780 votes? And why is the Director of Intelligence, who has no role in domestic law enforcement there? What is the President personally doing on the phone with FBI agents during a raid? All of this is unprecedented. I think all of this is intended to send a message. And the message is we will not tolerate or accept an election that we lose. And we need to pay attention to this. It's why I think in these budget discussions, we need to make sure to insist, among other things, that we don't have ICE agents at polling places. We're going to make sure that those elections take place and that they're free and that they're fair, because this is what's going to stop the, this country from sliding into some kind of dictatorship.

[John King]

I want to play something that your Republican colleague, Alabama Senator Tommy Tauberville, said this week on Fox Business.

[Chris Christie]

President Trump wants same day voting, mail ballots.

[John King]

Get rid of these voting machines. There's a half a dozen people, whether it's the House or Senate, Larry, that

[Chris Christie]

are up here as we speak, that

[John King]

did not get elected.

[Chris Christie]

It was all bogus because we've seen the evidence.

[John King]

And if we don't straighten that out,

[Chris Christie]

you're going to see a lot more

[John King]

of it this fall. Now, President Trump actually took that clip and posted it on his social media feed. How do you respond to those extraordinary and unfounded allegations from Senator Tuberville?

[Adam Schiff]

Well, this is just the latest iteration of the big lie. He is laying the foundation to challenge the results in November if they go against the President and his party. And it's not just Tommy Tuberville. You cited A moment ago, Speaker Mike Johnson as somehow defending our Constitution. Well, Mike Johnson was also saying something very similar to Tommy Tuberville. He said that three House or three Republicans in California were ahead on election day and lost when the absentee ballots came in in California and therefore there must be fraud. And he couldn't prove it, but he was sure that it took place. Well, that's the same kind of big lie that you're hearing from Tommy Tuberville that you heard from Donald Trump and continue to hear from Donald Trump. This is part of laying the foundation to challenge the result when they lose in the midterms. And we need to call it out, we need to spell it out. Even as they're saying people don't trust the elections. They are the reason why people don't trust the elections because they keep telling the American people that somehow American elections are untrustworthy. It is the same thing you see of tin pot dictators anywhere.

[John King]

So Republicans are making a big push for the so called SAVE Act. At least some Republicans are that would require a proof of citizenship to be able to vote. I understand you and other Democrats oppose that. There are roughly 20 or so million voting age Americans who don't actually have the request the papers that would be required to show readily available. But given there's Republicans have undermined confidence in elections and the integrity of elections. What about the idea of photo ID being required to vote? Are you in favor of that? Can there be a compromise where Democrats and Republicans put forward photo ID as a requirement for voting?

[Adam Schiff]

So Jonathan, what you've just asked is essentially Republicans have created distrust in the elections by making non existent by making claims of non existent fraud in the elections. And shouldn't we use the distrust they've created in order to enact a voter suppression law which is the SAVE act which would require people to have a birth certificate or passport documents that millions of Americans don't have. Almost half the country doesn't have a passport. And I don't know where many millions of people would even find a birth certificate. So no, not but phony fraud claims.

[John King]

But. But I was asking you a different question photo ID because as you know, let's show up. There was a recent poll. There's been a lot of polls on this. But in one recent Pew poll, 83% of adults support requiring photo ID to vote. 71% of Democrats favor requiring photo ID. Is that something that you can support and if not, why?

[Adam Schiff]

It's still going to be something, Jonathan. It's still going to be something that disenfranchises people that don't have the proper real id, driver's license id, that don't have the ID necessary to vote even though they are citizens. This is another way to simply try to suppress the vote. And the last thing I think we want to do is discourage more people, more citizens from voting while they're attacking those same elections, while they're trying to do away with absentee ballot voting, while they're trying to do away with being able to register to vote through the DMV or by the mail. So it's part of the broader disenfranchisement effort. And no, I don't think that's the right direction.

[John King]

All right, Senator Schiff, thank you for joining us this morning. Coming up, he was one of the first Republicans to criticize President Trump's racist social media post. Congressman Mike Lawlor joins me next. We're back in two minutes.

[Sarah Isgur]

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[Chris Christie]

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[John King]

Do you have an emergency? I have a 16 year old daughter. Can't get a hold of her.

[Adam Schiff]

I am scared to death.

[Sarah Isgur]

We wanted to talk to Skylar's friends.

[Adam Schiff]

They're not telling the full story.

[John King]

The truth is gruesomely horrific.

[Sarah Isgur]

How could you do this to.

[Adam Schiff]

There's a darker secret that's not been said.

[Chris Christie]

Watch the new Hulu original series Friends like the murder of Skylar Neese on Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

[John King]

I'm joined now by Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. Congressman, thank you for joining us. You were one of the very first Republicans to come out and condemn the president's social media post that had those images of the Obamas as apes. And here's what you said. The president's post is wrong and incredibly offensive, whether intentional or a mistake and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered. Now after you said that, they were still defending it. But it did get deleted eventually after about 12 hours. Should the president apologize?

[Mike Lawler]

Look, I think sometimes in our public discourse, it is best to just say, I'm sorry. You know, I take the White House at their word that this was a mistake. But at the end of the day, given the history of our nation, given the insensitivities with some of the stereotypes that have long been promulgated to attack African Americans, I think it's imperative to recognize that and meet the moment. And, you know, I think sometimes it's just best to say I'm sorry and do better. And I think, you know, given the situation, I'm glad they deleted it. But that type of meme or, you know, implication is wrong. And I think whoever created the original meme is an idiot. And really that type of content should not exist in our country. I think everybody should recognize the history and really do better.

[John King]

And what do you make of the fact that the White House, about the time you were condemning it, said that people like you were guilty of fake outrage, that this was fake outrage. This was just a, you know, a simple Internet mean. I mean, how do we go from there to. And then like many hours afterwards, they delete it. But they don't. They don't sure as heck don't seem sorry about it in any way.

[Mike Lawler]

Look, I think Tim Scott obviously was one of the first people to speak out. I don't think he was engaged in fake outrage. I think the vast majority of Americans recognize that that type of imagery and trying to, you know, compare the first black president to a gorilla or a monkey is insensitive. It's offensive, it's racist. And I think most Americans recognize that. And it was rightly condemned. And as I said in my statement, whether it was intentional or a mistake, the fact is it's wrong. And we should all just be able to acknowledge that and move forward.

[John King]

All right, you've been clear on that. Let me ask you about something else. This week we learned that President Trump told Chuck Schumer, the Senate leader, that he would be willing to unfreeze $16 billion in funding for a major infrastructure project in New York and New Jersey if the president, if Schumer were willing to, to endorse the idea of renaming Penn Station and by the way, Dulles Airport after Donald Trump. How is that? Okay,

[Mike Lawler]

so a few things here. Number one, this is a critical infrastructure project in the Northeast corridor. It's also critical for my district, you know, representing Rockland county, which is west of Hudson. We do not have a one seat ride into Manhattan by train. And so this project is critical towards that. I have been fully in Support of it. It's a, you know, multibillion dollar infrastructure project. Thousands upon thousands of jobs in my district and across the region reliant on it. I have been against freezing the funds, but how did we get here? Chuck Schumer decided last fall to shut the government down for 43 days. And as a result, this critical infrastructure project was frozen during that shutdown, in which the entirety of the federal government, you know, was depleted of funds. I know there have been numerous conversations between the President and Senator Schumer to try and resolve this. Chuck Schumer again shut the government down last week. Ultimately, this is a negotiation between the two of them that I think can get done. I recall back when I was in New York politics, Andrew Cuomo negotiated the renaming of the Tappan Zee Bridge after his father and the renaming of the Triborough Bridge after his former father in law, rfk. This is not new renaming.

[Chris Christie]

I know, but if I can.

[Mike Lawler]

But it's not a new concept.

[John King]

But if I can say.

[Mike Lawler]

Let me just finish, John.

[John King]

Okay, but I mean, he's holding the money hostage for having these things named after him. I mean, this is not like part of a let's honor somebody. He wants it named after himself, and he's saying he'll unfreeze the money if they'll do it.

[Mike Lawler]

John, at the end of the day, to me, I really could care less what the name of a building is Critical Infrastructure Project is. I care that it gets done, and ultimately, from my vantage point, you know, work it out. These guys have been known each other for roughly 50 years. You know, this goes back a long time. From my vantage point, we never should have got here, which is part of the reason why Chuck Schumer never should have shut the government down, and these funds never would have been frozen to begin with. So. Well, let's get, you know, the situation resolved so we can actually get people back to work. I really don't give a hoot what a building is called.

[John King]

A judge on Friday temporarily stopped the President from freezing the funds, saying he, you know, this was obviously money that was appropriated by Congress. Anyway, before you go, you had an interesting op ed in the New York Times about immigration, saying that, you know, not only do we need security on the border, we need reforms to the way ICE is operating. We need a legal pathway forward for the. For people that are here illegally. Tell me why this is important and if you've gotten any traction on this.

[Mike Lawler]

Look, this is an issue that I've been focused on for years, you know, for 40 years. We have not solved our immigration crisis. The American people were rightly outraged by what happened under the Bide Biden administration where you had over 10.5 million migrants cross our border, most of them illegally. You know, poorest southern border needed to be shut down. President Trump did that. The fact is that we have had nine straight months of net zero illegal border crossings. You've had 675,000 people deported, 1.9 million people self deport many of those folks criminal aliens or people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. The American people overwhelmingly support that. But what they do believe, if you've been in this country, right or wrong, for 5, 10, 15, 20 years, your children and your grandchildren are American citizens. People don't want to see families broken apart. And so there's got to be a legal path forward. Not a path to citizenship, but a legal path forward for people to come out of the shadows so that they can work legally, that they can pay their taxes, pay any back taxes owed, pay a fine, not collect government benefits, and not commit a crime. That is the basis of the Dignity act so that we can actually start to solve a crisis that has been in effect for 40 years. We have over 25 million people in this country who are undocumented. You're not rounding them all up and kicking them out. It's not realistic. So how do you deal with this in a way that is both compassionate but tough? And I guarantee you 10 out of 10 would take the deal to forego citizenship, to have a legal path forward. And we have a broad bipartisan coalition that has come together behind that. There's over 30 co sponsors, Republicans and Democrats. And in my opinion, that is a key component of actually fixing this problem. It is not amnesty. It is not just letting people stay in this country. The fact is they would forego citizenship. They would not get the right to vote. They would, however, have a legal pathway.

[John King]

Unfortunately, we're out of time. It's an idea that Republicans and Democrats have supported for some time. We'll see if it goes anywhere. Thank you for joining us this morning. I appreciate it. Up next, starting tomorrow, Congress will get access to the unredacted Epstein files. The roundtable is next.

[Chris Christie]

An all new season of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is coming to Hulu. And Hulu on Disney on March 12th.

[John King]

Mom Talk has just been blowing up. Whitney and Jen are on Dancing with the Stars.

[Sarah Isgur]

Taylor is a bachelorette.

[John King]

Saying that out loud is crazy.

[Sarah Isgur]

Like that is huge. But all the cool opportunities could pull us apart. It's causing issues in everyone's marriage. My whole world is falling apart right now. It's chaos.

[Chris Christie]

Watch the Hulu original series, the Secret Lives of Mormon wives March 12th coming to Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.

[John King]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds.

[Whit Johnson]

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[John King]

save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. And the roundtable's here. Former DNC chair Donna Brazile, former Republican congressman Patrick McHenry, SCOTUS blog editor Sarah Isger, and former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. Donna, I want to start with that despicable and overtly racist video that ended up on that was posted on the president's Feedback. What do you make of all of this?

[Donna Brazile]

Well, first of all, I feel more sorrow than rage. Sorrow because the president of the United States clearly understand that this type of I don't know what he wants to call it. It is just outrageous. It's uncalled for. We spent 250 years of slavery, 100 years of Jim Crow before we elected our first black president. Barack Obama remains one of the most popular living presidents, and his Gallup numbers are between 59 and 63. The president, this was a deliberate act, a deliberate act. I believe that the White House put this out and for whatever reason, the president still believes that he can divide us and detract us. He's not going to be able to destroy us. You know why? Because this country was founded on principles that people believe in that we still want to accept. And we're not going to let anyone take us back. And I'm sorry that the president of the United States should know better. But unfortunately, he's not going to improve.

[John King]

And Chris, he took it down and they said that it was a staffer that did it. By the way, it was 11:30 at night or whatever when it was posted. And there's certainly no apology. I mean, and of course, the press secretary condemned the outrage before they condemned hours before they took the video down.

[Chris Christie]

You know, John, with this one, I think Donna said everything that needs to be said about the video itself. I think it's a bigger issue. You know, I talk to friends of mine in my party who will say to me all the time, look, he's not a good guy. He's kind of crazy. But I like the issues.

[Donna Brazile]

Hmm.

[Chris Christie]

Here's the thing. What they're discovering now is character is the most important issue. And what the posting of that video shows is his absolute lack of character. And now what we're seeing is when you don't have character, you can't get the issues done either. Because all these acts of lack of character by Donald Trump are so distracting from issues like the economy, which the people care about, that he's now underwater on the economy. His lack of character allows him to do the things that ICE is doing that is so outraging the country. And now he's 20 points underwater on immigration, which has been a winning issue for Republicans for almost two decades. So for all my friends out there who say, yeah, no, I know the character is awful, but I care about the issues, you're not only now supporting someone with no character, but his lack of character leads to us not being able to accomplish the issues that we care about either.

[John King]

Patrick, what did you make of the fact that we saw Republicans come out pretty quickly on this? Tim Scott, very forcefully, several other Republican senators, obviously we heard from Lawler, but a lot of your former colleagues in the House.

[Patrick McHenry]

Well, first, the video is absolutely terrible. Yes. But what we do know about this president is he controls the memes. And the memes are the modern form of communication and they've always danced on the edge. And when you dance on the edge, occasionally you fall off. But why this matters, and I think what is important to the legislative agenda, to the regulatory agenda is the reaction on Capitol Hill and the reaction by the White House. This reaction by the White House looks much more like the first term than this second term. This second term. Susie Wiles has run a tight shop at the White House. The White House is a much tighter operation. It's been a sloppy response here by the White House.

[John King]

Caroline Levitt coming out and condemning the outrage.

[Patrick McHenry]

Well, it's like a multi layer set of traditional Washington responses this week, number one. Number two, you've not seen Senate Republicans respond like they have to this meme. The last time they did anything akin to this was 2016, 17, 18. President Trump has far more control of the Republican Party today than he does then. That is the first break we've seen. President got his Cabinet through the Senate, got every nominee through the Senate. He's gotten his legislative agenda through the House and the Senate without any objection of any meaningful sort. This is the first real break from the president.

[John King]

And Sarah, I'm going to switch topics. The other big story we've been talking here is what the president's saying about elections and all The Fulton county stuff. And we want Republicans to take over the voting. I mean, Republican. I mean, what is he talking about?

[Sarah Isgur]

Well, once again, we're seeing both parties switch sides. It had actually been the Democratic Party that had been in favor of nationalizing voter registration, for instance, and having the federal government play a bigger role in our elections. And it was Republicans who said, no, it's actually far more secure to have 50 separate elections. There's all sorts of reasons that states run the election, not the least of which is the Constitution, as you mentioned earlier on the show.

[John King]

You know,

[Sarah Isgur]

and so once again, we see both sides switch. Democrats are discovering federalism, and why. In fact, when you have a president that you don't like and you don't have control over which president's gonna win, you may actually want states to be in control. And it's Republicans now who seem to have a very short memory and Attention Spanish, who say, why don't we nationalize the election for three years, and then definitely we'll never lose another presidential election again.

[John King]

Okay?

[Patrick McHenry]

But on this point, Trump is the ultimate magnet of our political discussion. So the Democratic Party had H.R. 1 in 2019 and 2021, Biden's first signature legislative item to the House. It was to nationalize elections.

[John King]

This is the John Lewis.

[Patrick McHenry]

This is the HR one for the People act, okay? And this was the one. This was the bill that the Senate was gonna. Senate Democrats wanted to break the filibuster in order to pass. So this is not an ancient thing for the Democratic Party. Also, part of that, as a kicker, was a mandate, a requirement that states have independent redistricting commissions to avoid gerrymandering. Everything's flipped because President Trump has picked a different spot. Everything's flipped.

[Donna Brazile]

The freedom to vote should be at the center of our democracy. And when Democrats push for these issues nationally, it is to ensure that no American is denied the ballot, to ensure that we're not purged because we changed our last name or we didn't vote in the last two elections. So I think we're talking about apples and oranges when we talk about what Democrats are doing on this issue of making sure that no one is restricted from the Democrats.

[John King]

No, we're not.

[Chris Christie]

No, John, we're not. And, Donna, we're not. Because this is about power. And when the Democrats were in power, they wanted to nationalize the election when they were in charge of the federal government. Now the Republicans were are in charge of the federal government. They want to nationalize elections. It's about none of that. And One other thing the President said this week in the Oval was he said, after all, states are just the agents of the federal government.

[John King]

Madison said that in Federalist, which as

[Chris Christie]

a former governor, and I think any former or current governor would loudly object to that. We are not agents of the federal government. And in fact, the reason why the states are in charge is for the very reason that Trump says he wants, which is he wants fair elections. Well, in my state, for instance, we have two Republicans and two Democrats in every county in the room. When you're counting votes, that's called nonpartisan vote count.

[John King]

All right. And just very quickly, the context here is Republicans are fearing a really bad midterm. Am I right? I mean, what are you hearing?

[Patrick McHenry]

I think that's an understatement.

[John King]

Yeah.

[Patrick McHenry]

So first of all, in the Roman Republic, they would consult and they would reference the auspices. They would look for signs in the sky of how the birds moved or thunder and lightning to look for an omen. Well, in Texas, we saw a bad omen for Republicans. Switch of 31 by 31 points.

[John King]

This was a state legislature. Special election for a state legislature.

[Brad Garrett]

Yes.

[Patrick McHenry]

Which matters. Not at all. It is much more psychic than scientific that we're getting results from. It's like consulting this guy because.

[John King]

Because it was a Democratic seat that Republicans just. I mean, a Republican seat that Democrats

[Patrick McHenry]

just swung by 31 points.

[John King]

31 points.

[Donna Brazile]

It's happening all over the country. It's happened in Mississippi, it's happening in Georgia and it happened yesterday in Louisiana. It's happening everywhere.

[Patrick McHenry]

It's immigration and it's affordability that the driving force. We also have the special election in New Jersey where the progressive won over all the money spent for a moderate. And that tells me that the Democratic primaries are going to be through the progressives this year. While Republicans look at a very tough.

[John King]

Okay, I also want to ask you that something is going to happen starting Monday, the Epstein files unredacted. And by the way, I've got a. A few of the files that were released. There were a lot of redactions. So members of Congress are now going to be able to go to a secure room in DOJ and look at these unredacted files. One of these that I think is probably going to be the first to look at. I want to see if we can put up on the screen. It was sent to Jeffrey Epstein. The name of who sent it is redacted. And the message at 3 in the morning on March 3, 2014. Thank you for a fun night. Your little girl was a little. Your littlest girl was a little naughty. Now, why that was redacted is a mystery. But what, I mean, what do you think we're gonna see?

[Sarah Isgur]

What is shocking to me is that we have Republicans have allowed this to drag on the way that it is. I mean, we've been talking about this now for a year at least about the Epstein files and Trump's promise to his voters. And here we are still, still talking about it every Sunday. And it does come to the midterm elections. Those special elections that we talked about, they're not telling you that voters are switching from Republican to Democrat. Those are about turnout and it's about enthusiasm on the Democratic side. Why are Republicans spending time on this instead of affordability?

[Chris Christie]

Well, because Trump's the guy like the dog who caught the garbage truck, right? He was chasing this Epstein thing all through his political campaign and now, oh, damn, now I have to do something about it. And he remembers now. Man, friends of mine are all over this thing.

[Donna Brazile]

Dog's gonna fight him.

[John King]

We'll be right back. ABC Wednesdays, the Emmy winning comedy Scrubs is all new.

[Jonathan Karl]

This is a whole new chapter for me.

[John King]

No more sad sack. That's what I'm talking about.

[Jonathan Karl]

I want both of our sacks to be fun.

[John King]

You two idiots are perfect for each other. From executive producers of Ted Lasso and shrinking.

[Jonathan Karl]

We were all upon part of this victory. Now get those nachos out of the premium warmer nachos.

[John King]

Feels like there's more applause for the

[Jonathan Karl]

nachos than my speech.

[John King]

The new season of Scrubs Wednesdays, 8, 7 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu. I'm RJ Decker, the private investigator uncovering

[Jonathan Karl]

the Sunshine state's darkest secrets.

[Chris Christie]

Tuesdays, it's the premiere of ABC's hottest new crime show.

[Adam Schiff]

RJ freaking Decker.

[John King]

As I live and breathe, he's a private eye. It's not a standard murder.

[Chris Christie]

Someone bigger and a public mass trying

[John King]

to get some back to prison today.

[Patrick McHenry]

You go to prison one time and

[John King]

suddenly it's all the jokes.

[Chris Christie]

RJ Decker Series premiere Tuesdays on ABC and stream on hulu.

[John King]

I grew up dreaming of this moment.

[Mike Lawler]

So, you know, I grew up watching,

[John King]

you know, a ton of great football players and a ton of great football

[Mike Lawler]

teams get to this moment.

[Whit Johnson]

I think the age is the thing

[John King]

that makes it special for me at

[Whit Johnson]

such a young age to cherish such

[John King]

a moment of playing this game. The starting quarterbacks for the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots as they get ready for the big game tonight. ABC's Whit Johnson joins us from Santa Clara on this Super Bowl Sunday. Tough assignment there, Whit. So let me start. All eyes are on the two quarterbacks, both starting their first first Super Bowl. Tell. Tell us a little bit about what you expect about how they are getting ready for this huge moment.

[Whit Johnson]

Yeah, John, and I love this storyline here, these two quarterbacks. Let's start with Sam Darnold. He's really been an NFL journeyman. He was drafted by the jets in 2018, third pick in the draft. It did not go well. He's played on five teams in eight seasons, finally found his footing at Seattle, has had an incredible year, and really, if he wins today, this could mark one of the best career comebacks in the NFL in history. And then on the other side of the ball, you got Drake May, who's this young phenom in his second year for the Patriots, of course, operating in the shadow and the legacy of Tom Brady. But he has really helped turn this team around from a losing season last year to now in the Super Bowl. If he wins today, he will be the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl.

[John King]

And we also have a battle of the coaches that's really interesting here. Tell us about that.

[Whit Johnson]

It sure is. On the Patriots side, Mike Vrabel, who many people know as a linebacker for the Patriots. He won three Super Bowls as a player, and he's just in his first year with the Patriots now. He's totally turned this team around. If he were to win, he'd be the first person ever to win as a player in and a head coach. And then on the other side of the ball with Seattle, Mike McDonald, now in his second year. He was a defensive coordinator before this with the Ravens. So he's bringing in this defensive prowess to the Seattle Seahawks, which has really helped them throughout the season. And it could be a difference maker in the game today.

[John King]

I was actually at the Super bowl in 2015 when these two teams faced off. I've got to believe the Seahawks are looking for a little revenge.

[Whit Johnson]

Absolutely, John. Everybody's been talking about that. This is the rematch. Seahawks fans and the players absolutely looking for revenge. Of course, that play, you were there right on the goal line. The Seahawks, all they had to do was hand it off to Marshawn Lynch. Unbelievable Beast mode was his nickname. He was literally known for ramming through players at the goal line. He already had more than 100 yards in that game. Instead, Pete Carroll goes for a trick play. They throw it. It's an interception at the goal line. The Patriots win. Many people said it was that play, that decision that made the difference. Lost the game for the Seahawks. Players have been asked about that. Most of them try not to get into the history of it. They don't want to jinx anything. But no doubt for the Seahawks and their fans, this game is about revenge.

[John King]

All right, Whit Johnson, thank you very much. We'll be right back. That's all for today. Thank you for sharing part of your Super Bowl Sunday with us. Check out World news tonight. Have a great day

[Chris Christie]

from 30 for 30 podcasts.

[Mike Lawler]

Brian Pata, senior defensive lineman from Miami gunned down the key to this case.

[Adam Schiff]

It's Brian.

[John King]

An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with somebody. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction. Being placed under arrest.

[Jonathan Karl]

We had a killer amongst us.

[Chris Christie]

Murder at the U. Listen now.