first president trump announcing mick mulvaney will become his acting chief of staff. two sources say he was asked to be named acting chief of staff because he wanted a safea in place. the special counsel slammed michael flynn after the former national security adviser suggested he slould been warned about the consequences of lying the fbi. on tuesday flynn will become the first member of the trump admin strags to be sentenced, and this comes after trump's former lawyer michael cohen was sentenced to three years in prison. cohen insisted trump asked him to make illegal payments to silence women who had affairs with president trump. >> so many investigations, and clearly the investigative walls are closing in on trump. getting the michael chone plea here is a game-changer in so many ways. a lot of this is going to turn on whether cohen has tapes or somebody else does. i think it's also going to turn on how trump responds. >> meanwhile the incoming chair of the republican chair committee representing adam schiff is investigating whether there was any illegal funding in t

or rather director mulvaney is now. he's a loyal trump soldier now, and served as omb director, and he's got the right resume but i agree with what kelsey said to you a minute ago, the fact that you have to take him on an interim basis shows how much people don't want this job. >> kelsey, when you hear -- to david's point -- that people don't want this job and the president saying many people want the job, which is true? are people lining up to be the chief of staff in the white house at this time? >> not as far as we have seen. there are people that enjoyed having their names out there or were not discouraging the conversation about their candidacy, but we have not seen a lot of people coming forward. it would be a difficult job. we have seen that through a number of people who have gone through it already. >> very difficult because we have the democrats taking over the house, and also the possible end of the mueller investigation, so this is a white house under fire. >> yeah, this is a time when things are going to ge

i think mick mulvaney understands that challenge. i don't think it's going to prevent him from doing the job that he thinks needs to be done as long as ivanka and jared and the president respect mick mulvaney and how he has to do the job. i would hope the president wants a chief of staff to succeed. if a chief of staff succeeds, chances are the president will succeed. i hope that jared and ivanka understand that as well. >> the pictures of the president at arlington. he's there for national wreath day. great to see him, you would say, wouldn't you, paying respects to the military in a way that perhaps he's been criticized in the past? >> i think it's very important and we should honor our veterans and those who sacrificed and those who are of the greatest generation that are dying in record numbers because age is catching up to them. remember the contributions that they made so we could have the democracy we have and be the light of the world for democracy. i tell you, we are a shining city on the hill and i want to make sure it stay

. >> mick mulvaney to be acting white house chief of staff when john kelly leaves at the end of theier. the president tweeting i'm pleased to nouns mick mulvaney direct of the office of management and budget will be named white house chief of staff. i look forward to work are working with him in capacity. >> mulvaney tweeting this is a tremendous honor i look forward to working with the president and the team. it's a great 2019. the announcement coming hours after former governor chris christie declined the job in a statement saying it's an honor to be considered but now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment. the president's first kmois, nick ayers also declined the position saying he wants to move his family back to georgia. among the possible names mentioned as permanent replacements one time deputy campaign manager david boss se

so mulvaney is going to be acting chief of staff. he also is running the consumer financial protection bureau and he is the director of the office of management of budget. that office alone is enough to keep five people busy. bottom line of all of this is ultimate chaos, chaos in the operation of the most important government in the world, and it is serious, serious problem. i don't know what he's going to do there. perhaps just hold the title, acting, which is probably appropriate. >> this comes, of course, as there's been so much news about michael cohen, about michael flynn and the special counsel putting out filings today that show a rebuke of michael flynn's lawyers basically blaming the fbi for his lies. trump yesterday tweeted that the special counsel, quote, gave general flynn a great deal by the way he was treated. this filing by the special counsel at least indirectly rebukes that. what message do you think mueller is sending with the new document? >> he's saying, don't mets with me. he's being very, very clear here. i've g

mick mulvaney has figured out a way. he voted against the very kinds of compromises that this white house is going to have to strike on things like government funding. he was an instigator of the 2013 government shutdown, which the incoming minority leader on the republican side and that team tried to avoid. he's voted against debt limit increases. he does not have great bipartisan relationships on capitol hill. >> third chief of staff in less than two years. >> thank you so much for joining me. >> thank you. >>> still ahead, remember the deadly shooting at marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida? the panel investigating the attacks now wants a law allowing teachers to carry guns. i'll be speaking with the father of one of the students who was killed in the tragedy about that recommendation. that's next. ...and i found out that i'm from the big toe of that sexy italian boot! so this holiday season it's ancestrydna per tutti! order your kit now at ancestry.com up here at the dewar's distillery, all our w

mulvaney already holding two pos ts in the administration. this promotion came as the daily beast website obtained a video recorded in 2016 of then congressperson mick mulvaney in a congressional debate calling donald trump "a terrible human being." this is what he said. >> [indiscernible] i think he is a terrible human being. amy: there he is calling trump a terrible human being. talk about the role that mulvaney has played and what is going on in the white house right now, and does it matter who is chief of staff? is it significant he has been approved by the senate in his current roles, so that could mean he could be subpoenaed by the senate and testifying in a way that an advisor was an approved might not be able to be? the secondeen called most important job in the federal government, chief of staff to the president. mulvaney is a massive outlaw. -- everywhere he goes in the federal government, he shuts down law enforcement. he harasses civil servants. ea benefits wall street crimes with his supervision of the consumer financial protecti

what does mulvaney bring to the table? >> i hate to be mean to mick mulvaney who is headed for a world of hurt, as we all know. let us count the ways in which this cannot end well. number one -- >> we only have seven minutes here. >> how much time do we have? donald trump has no intention of empowering a white house chief of staff to tell him what he does not want to hear which is the most important thing a chief of staff can do. number two, mulvaney's primary qualification is he played golf with donald trump and does not tell him hard truths. number three, you cannot do both jobs, omb director and chief of staff simultaneously and having the omb title leaves you vulnerable to testifying before congress. another problem is being acting chief of staff. you cannot be effective if you're walking around with an expiration date on your forehead. the moment people think you do not have the authority and do not speak for the president over the long term then you're a dead man walking. that's just the beginning of the problems tha

listen, it's the only way we can get the democrats' attention. >> mulvaney said the white house is in the fight for the long haul it would appear. so are the democrats. in a statement, house democratic leader nancy pelosi's office said democrats are united against the president's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall. the wall that he specifically promised that mexico would pay for. this comes as homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen visits the southern border with mexico amid controversy over the deaths of two migrant children in u.s. custody over the last month. for more i'm joined by annie carney, the white house reporter for "the new york times." ben rhodes is a deputy national security advisor to president obama. and david frumm is a former speechwriter for george w. bush. annie, let me start with you just on the basics. that threat from trump today via twitter to close down the southern border, his chief of staff there, new chief of staff mick mulvaney saying, hey, this is serious. what is your sense, what is your reporting? twitter bluster or is there a potential plan

mick mulvaney was not the president's first choice. he wasn't the president's first or second choice. but what mick mulvaney does have over those other individuals is he will be relatively unassume anything this white house. can you imagine a donald trump presidency with a chris cristie chief of staff? you know, when you had these two alpha males, these bulls in china shops, for lack of a better term, that would have been amazing television. i'm not afraid of mulvaney being able to push through his policies. i think he is the one that wanted the acting title because right now to be completely honest it seems as if every job in washington, d.c., belongs to either mick mulvaney or jared kushner. they have these vast-wide ranging portfolios. you will not read about him in the newspapers. he's very, very smart and very, very dangerous. i think that nancy pelosi and chuck schumer have an admirable foe on the other side because he understands the politics and fiscal concerns and constraints. everybody knows that this is donald trump's game.

who is mick mulvaney who's going to be the president's right handman? this is mick mulvaney. he serves as director of the white house office and budget. he served as acting director of the consumer financial bureau. prior to joining president trump's cabinet, mulvaney spent six years in the house of representatives. mulvaney aligned himself with the tea party caucus, his voting record paints a clear picture of his values. he strongly opposed the affordable care act. he supported an amendment to support same sex marriage. mulvaney supports this record and his work in the trump cabinet, it appears the two of them are aligned. why mick mulvaney, and why now? >> joining me to dig into this is former white house chief of staff for president clinton. and the chairman of mcclarity associates. >> thanks for joining me. the thing that donald trump needs is someone to tell him some hard truths, and keep him on track. it seems that's not the reason why mick mulvaney is here. mick mulvaney is here because they like him to golf. i'm not sure we're getting to what most people think a chief

mulvaney is a money guy. what are the challenges regarding a shutdown and spending for the wall. >> people start to dot their their is and cross their ts, follow the money. he knows where we can get the compromise and where we can get the votes. trish: do you think a shutdown is happening? >> i do. trish: does this further that. >> he's a fiscal hawk and he's loig to the president. his personality is not overbearing or overwhelming. i know members of the freedom caucus are happy. my husband spoke to somebody from senator rand palms staff and they said city was a tremendous pick. trish: i know the democrats don't like anything the republicans do. robin, i know around good sport and try to see things fairly. how do you think about this appointment? >> i think it's a good wish. this is why democrats need to get behind this in was so much controversy when he was first named director omb because as congressman he said it was a joke. but he continued obama's 100 investigations. he actually fined wells fargo $500 fo

mick mulvaney, i know him. i've interviewed him, i've worked around him in terms of getting a sense of who he is. smart, competent. why acting and not just go in and give it to him. he's wanted this job for some time. >> you let that one adjective, he's very tough. he knows the budget. he knows the budget like the back of his hand. >> tough, smart, fair. >> absolutely. and i think that mick is an outstanding choice. he's young and energetic. the president is sending a signal he's bringing in a wartime consigliere. >> why only acting? >> i think that's how the president rolls. >> he just said he would don't acting. he was loath to acting just a week ago. >> the president has the prerogative of changing his mind when he wants to. i think he wants to make sure that the chemistry is good and that things work out. i think it's mick's job if he wants it. i think he will get it permanently. and i think the signal is, he's picking a war-time guy because the president knows that most of these investigations as you talke

mick mulvaney said this shutdown is something the new congress tackles. lawmakers will be seated in january. sarah westwood has the state of play at the white house. >> reporter: christine and joe, president trump is bracing for a lengthy shutdown that stretches beyond the holidays as he continues his demand for money for his promised border wall and the democrats refuse to fund it. we recall that the president initially demanded $5 billion for the border wall funding and he said it had to be for the physical construction of the southern border. not just for border security in general. sources say that vice president mike pence offered support for a package worth $2.5 billion if it included funding for the wall. that came during a meeting on saturday with chuck schumer. sources say schumer rejected the offer. the talks still appear to be deadlocked. trump has been all over the map with the shutdown. he said he would be proud to accept responsibility for it if it was in pursuit of money for the border wall before shifting to blame democrats. it is unclear

so saturday he decided to tap mulvaney. >> trevor: mick mulvaney and mid life crisis harry potter came into the oval office for a meeting about the budget and trump ambushed him with another job offer. he was, like, so about this budget, chief of staff said wha- >> what, sir? >> he said it, folks, legally binding! sounds like he just decided he the door next. we should be grateful mick mull van iny got the job. he would be like the next one who comes in, congratulations to the next chief of staff, high energy auld on the move. like eric spends his day, eating garbage off the floor, folks. ( laughter ) the reason filling that position is so hard, it's almost impossible to find someone who likes president trump, and it turns out the new guy doesn't either. >> in a matter of days, he'll be donald trump's righthand man, but in the days before the president was elected, it appeared mick mulvaney could barely stand him. >> yes, i'm supporting donald trump. i'm doing so as enthusiastically as i can, even though i think he's a terrible human being. ( laughter ) ( applause ) >> trevor: oh, man!

mulvaney, though, is an interesting case study. his aides, people around him, told reporters he would rather have a cabinet job. don't think of him for this. however for months he has been pitching the president on becoming the chief of staff. at a dinner they had this summer he said i won't try to manage you, like john kelly does, i won't try to stop who talks to you, i won't stand in the way of your family and at the end of the day i won't leak laek to the news media. the president liked the argument. he kept john kelly but eventually when it came back around, mulvaney made the pitch again. the president was going to name someone soon. if it wasn't mulvaney on friday, it was going to be very soon. he had a week of kind of -- >> hanging out the door. >> -- nobody knew what was going on. >> i will respect your family and don't have a scandal. >> mick mulvaney, to rachel's point, was a bomb thrower in congress and he said i'll basically enable you, let you do what you want. it's an open question whether that will be good or bad for

want to know your thoughts on mick mulvaney, seeing them through? >> the big news before this, dana, chris christie the former governor of new jersey saying he was taking himself out. we've seen a series of people say, no, i'm not going to do a difficult job. it seems like the coming two years are going to be turbulent. i think a lot of people moved away. mick mulvaney is really taking one for the team. >> he has three jobs, jesse. >> being trump chief of staff, my mother recommended that i did not do that. like chris christie, i'll be taking myself out of consideration. like i said before, it's all about personal chemistry with the president. it looks like -- >> they have a good relationship. >> he can steer the course -- i do not know how long it's going to take to get a permanent one. maybe two weeks, a month? i do not think a lot of the peoples' names that were being dandy about, chris christie and david bossi, were actually in serious consideration. >> the president goes into the weekend with a little bit of news. that story, we are going to ta

mick mulvaney is a policy wonk. he likes to be the budget director. and the chief of staff job, as we have seen from the turmoil and drama and chaos around not just the first and second chiefs of staff, but trying to find somebody to fill it in, is just a thankless, thankless job, despite president trump saying he has all of these people who want it. it's just not the case. >> it is a job for someone, gloria, who can make the trains run on time. then the request he is, only until they're discarded. >> nobody can make the trains run on time at this white house because of president trump and he drives the train off the track half the time. not to overuse that metaphor. but he does. secondly, mulvaney runs the department. he's a conservative. as dana was saying. awash in red ink. the budget deficit has ballooned. i think they're hoping they can talk him into doing this, and maybe they can. and maybe they can't. and also, it's been a very bad week for the president, a really, really bad week. and they're changing the subject right now, also, as jim was sa

mick mulvaney is his new acting chief of staff. it's believed the acting part of his title is for when it comes time to exit the west wing. it's a former congressman from the d.c. area. grew up, went to georgetown. this is his third administration role in two years. bloomberg said one former official told jennifer jacobs nothing tells you how hard it is to get someone in the administration than this. earlier today, chris christie took himself out of the running. door according to one source, the president was desperate to kill the headline that no one wanted to job so he settled on mulvaney. president trump writing, for the record, there were many people who wanted to be the white house chief of staff. mick m. will do a great job. with us tonight, lucy and jonathan allen our national news political reporter. katherine, i can't wait, i have to show you this. this is a clip. what was the date on this did we decide? november 2, 2016. this is your new acting white house chief of staff talking about donald trump. >> yes, i'm supporting

mick mulvaney. >> thank you very much. people always ask me about the dogs named guinness and harper and ask me what i do for fun. i want to thank mr. hage for the introduction. i want to thank you for inviting me. thank you to all the religious leaders and excellencey that are here. thank you for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to speak this evening. i will begin by saying this. i really wasn't supposed to be here today. we had been asked by the heads of protocol at the white house not to do any official events today given the solemnity having to do with the funeral. we were supposed to cancel all our official events. i talked to the white house and i said, look, i'm speaking to this group on wednesday evening. they said, please cancel. i said, well, it's in defense of christians and i think it would be something that george bush would probably want me to do. [ applause ] >> and the white house absolutely agreed and insisted that i come. so i want to thank the folks who make those types of decisions tool lou me

>> i served with mick mulvaney in congress. i agree with the statement you just said, i also know that as we sit here today, donald trump still has not been able to find a chief of staff. he's only been able to find an acting chief the staff, because mick mulvaney did not want to commit to that post. that shows you what a problem it is to work in the trump administration. i wish mick mulvaney the best of luck. this is like rearranging deck chairs on the "titanic." the problem is with the person at the top. unless he changes his behavior and hi policies, you're going to continue to see chaos at the white house. my hometown congressman ted lieu, thank you for joining me. >> thank you, alex. >>> have the odds changed given the events of this week? we have some answers to that, next. alright, i brought in ensure max protein... ...to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. [grunting noise] i'll take that. 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. ensure max protein. in two great flavors. ensur max protein. ♪

mick mulvaney will be the acting chief of staff. he will replace outgoing chief of staff john kelly. mulvaney's appointment puts an end to several days of really confusion after the president's top pick turned down the job and several other people took their names out of the running. for more on all of that, let's bring in our cnn white house reporter sarah westwood. with all the troubles that zinke has faced, was this departure just a matter of time? >> reporter: well, alex, interior secretary ryan zinke is someone whose fate inside the trump administration has long been considered unclear given the negative headlines he's generated during his tenure and his potential to create new ones as the target of likely democratic congressional probes. zinke had faced scrutiny for months now amid allegations that he used his post for personal gain and abused agency resources. earlier this year, the department of interior's inspector general started probing several areas of zinke's work including his relationship with the chairman of hallibur

mulvaney is his new acting chief of staff. it's believed the acting part of his title is an option he wanted for when it comes time perhaps to exit the west wing. mulvaney grew up in the d.c. area, went to georgetown. bloomberg's jennifer jacobs says she heard from one former trump administration official who told her, quote, nothing shows how hard it is to get people in this administration than this. just yesterday the president said the search to place john kelly was down to five mostly well-known people. chris christie took himself out of the running earlier today. according to one source the president was desperate to kill story line that nobody wanted the job to be his chief of staff, so he settled on mulvaney. not long ago trump jumped to defend his pick writing, quote, for the record there were many who wanted to be the chief of staff. mick m. will do a great job. catherine lucy and jonathan allen, veteran political journalist and our nbc news national political reporter. gang, welcome to you both. catherine, i can't wa

adding mulvaney respects and believes in the president. he'll be the president's third chief of staff in less than two years and continue to serve as the budget director, all part of the administration's latest shake-up. president trump also announcing embattled interior secretary ryan zinke will be stepping down at the end of the year. zinke, who is facing numerous federal investigations into his travel, his business dealings and potential conflicts of interest, would have been likely to come under more scrutiny with democrats set to take control of the house. in a tweet, zinke says, "i cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations." the president is heading into the new week facing the possibility of a partial government shutdown. he's demanding $5 billion to fund the border wall. congressional democrats have their own proposal but it's not what the president wants so he's not budging. at the white house, stephanie ramos, abc news. >>> president trump and his legal team are unleashi

mulvaney is that guy. so i'm excited for mulvaney to get in there. i hope he lass and stays. i hope he will take a full time roll in that. i understand that's not what his interest is but i hope for the country and for the president's success as well as people in this country, i hope mulvaney will stay for a long time because i'm a believer in him. some of the other folks, i haven't been nearly as excited about quite frankly. i was disappointed to see some come in. but i also think that president trump is vastly different than folks that have risen through the ranks of government and kind of keep folks in there -- >> jason, andre, i am going to interrupt because the president is speak can about the ruling from texas overnight about, against obama care. take a listen. >> mr. president, comment on the court ruling? >> it was a big ruling. it was a great ruling for our country. we will be able to get great health care. we will sit down with the democrats, with the supreme court upholds, we will be sitting down with the democrats, and get great health care for our people. repeal

but let's take a listen again to mick mulvaney, and i remind our viewers about his position. he holds the director of the white house budget office, right, the mlb, and he's also the chief of staff and here's what he had to say about this. >> we really think we're in a good place in terms of getting the wall built and also to get mexico to participate in our border security. >> but none of that is mexico paying for the wall. >> technically you and i both know it can't work exactly like that. i can't spend any money on a budget that the department of homeland security can't actually spend money from mexico, we have to get it from the treasury. >> technically you and i both know it can't work exactly like that. >> he's right, and he said he'll get it back from mexico, saying tariffs and mexico will pay for it indirectly. none of that is true -- >> is that something that you think people who voted for donald trump had a good grasp on? when he went out there during his campaign and he said, mexico is going to pay for the wall repeatedly, do you think most people interpret that to

mulvaney is a fiscal hawk. that could loom important ahead of a potential partial government shutdown. that choice comes today on a day in which the president's former fixer, michael cohen, his former attorney, blamed the president for a series of bad choices. >> nothing in the trump organization was ever done until it was run through mr. trump. he directed me to make the pavements. >> in his first interview after being sentenceed to 3 years in prison, michael cohen proclaimed that then candidate donald trump encouraged him to break the law during the 2016 campaign. >> i am angry at myself because i knew what i was doing was wrong. >> he said mr. trump directed him to pay hush money to 2 women. something trump denies. cohen faces time behind bars. today the white house officials ridiculed his version of facts. >> for the media to give credence to a convicted criminal is laughable. >> in april president trump said this aboard air force one. >> [inaudible]. >> now, he admits he was aware of the payment to daniels

. >>> president trump had some lovely praise for his new chief of staff mick mulvaney but mulvaney hasn't always shared the love. what did he say about trump in 2016? that's next. with my bladder leakage, the products i've tried just didn't fit right. they were too loose. it's getting in the way of our camping trips. but with a range of sizes, depend fit-flex is made for me. with a range of sizes for all body types, depend fit-flex underwear is guaranteed to be your best fit. [[clap, clap]] ♪ hey, jen, which tie says, "trustworthy but also fun"? gold down, oil up. oil down, gold up. this is too busy. we need to make sure people can actually use this stuff. which one says, "hours of free live streaming coverage without cable or subscription fees"? aluminum, aluminum? you ready, zack? oh, we're ready. welcome to the show. let's make finance make sense. ♪ ultimate feast time it'sat red lobster.r own pick four of ten favorites to create the ultimate feast you've been dreaming of. like lobster mac & cheese. or tender snow crab. so hurry in before new create your own ultimate feast ends. â™

why did the president turned to mick mulvaney? for thew's the time president to have more of a political chief of staff. mulvaney has political experience. he knows the white house. yes the confident of the president and the choice is coming from within. i think that is important. he knows how to place runs, he knows the strengths and the weaknesses and where the president wants to go, and as we move and the election season, he can balance between being an administrative chief of staff and getting the president's agenda done, as well is working with the political arm of the campaign in order to get the president reelected. david: he will be doing double duty. why did he go in as acting? is that the president's decision or mick mulvaney saying i would hold on to my senate confirmed position at omb? brad: i think the president is hedging his bets. mulvaney may be the perfect person to remain a chief of staff, but he plays an important role. i was just there on friday for a report on the economy and mulvaney knows the economy inside

budget director mick mulvaney. the announcement coming after days of speculation of who would replace general john kelly. nbc's correspondent kelas o'donnellore on that. >> reporter: good morning, peter. the washington guessing game is over. the president named his new and third chief of staff in just under two ar he will succeed john kelly who will leave at the end of the year. the process was more public and messy than the white house wanted raising questions if the coveted job lost luster despite all of the problems coming in for the sucssor who will inherit the messages. the president with the pressure mounting and a week passed before ending the suspense. naming mick mulvaney as the acting white house chief of staff. the choice did not clear up the controversy. late friday, a defensive tweet fr president trump. writing, for the record, there were many people who wanted to be white house chief of staff. mick m. will do a gat job. at least two top contenders backed away. former new jersey governor chris christie

mick mulvaney said this could last into the new year. give me a sense of where you see things going. >> first let me say something about former congressman mick mulvaney who now is the acting chief of staff i suppose. this is somebody who voted to keep the government shut down over the urging of his own leadership in the congress of united states after it had been shut down for 16 days. it was over the issue of obama signing a repeal of the affordable care act which he knew that was not going to happen. so this is not a guy who is i think interested in making sure that the government is open and available and stabilizing for the american people. and i think that's unfortunate. i hope in this effort he understands that shutting down the government i think across the aisle, republican and democrats, is a dumb way to go and a hurtful way to go and undermines the confidence of the american people and is undermining the confidence in the markets. >> congressman, let me ask you -- >> this is a policy with great cost. >> i want to get more to a

this time...mick mulvaney / white house budget directorall options are on the table - listen, it's the only way we can get the democrats attention.alexandra limon / washington correspondentthe border wall standoff caused parts of the government to shut down one week ago, and there's no solution in sight. lawmakers have left town.the administration blames soon to be house speaker-- nancy pelosi.sarah sanders / white house press secretaryshe's unwilling to actually do anything until she gets her speakership. she's more willing to protect that than to protect our borders than to protect american lives. president trump also tweeted a threat to cut off aid to honduras, guatemala, and el salvador--for not stopping migrants from leaving...joanne lin / amnesty international three of the most violent and deadly countries in the world, with some of the highest rates of murder, femicide and domestic violence.joann lin with amnesty international says cutting off aid would likely make conditions worse for people and could compel more migrants to come to the u.s. in washington alexandra limon. a liv

picking mick mulvaney to be acting chief of staff. his third chief of staff in two years following john kelly and reince priebus. he personally requested to be acting just in case he wants to bail from the job. he will continue to be director of the office of management and budget. according to our reporting chemistry is one reason president trump picked mick mulvaney for this job. let bygones be bygones after this memorable comment from before the election. >> yes, i supported donald trump. i did so as enthusiastically as i can even though i think he's a terrible human being but the choice on the other side is just as bad. >> pete, christine, rena and glen are back with me. a lot of people didn't want the job. one line from the "new york times." trump grew deeply frustrated at rejections and media reporting no one of high stature wanted to be his chief of staff and decide suddenly to tap mulvaney for this job. played out in a familiar fashion. little by little you see people drop out. my family doesn't want knme to this and in the en

mulvaney will replace john kelly who steps down in early january. let's get more on this from our north america correspondent, david willis. why is the poster vacant? it is vacant, martine, becausejohn and kelly is standing down at the end of the year, allegedly after he and donald trump fell out cash post. it got to the point apparently where they weren't speaking to each other —— post. clearly that working relationship was untenable. since the news broke ofjohn kelly's imminent departure, donald trump has been casting around and this is normally one of the most prestigious, most coveted jobs in government, that of white house chief of staff but surprisingly there have been very few takers. neck hairs, mike pence's vice president... he didn't want to do it for the full two years so that when the ways. governor chris christie, the ways. governor chris christie, the former newjersey governor was also in discussion with the white house, we're told. that went away. also representative mark meadows of north carolina, also tapped, but that has come t

we've heard from mick mulvaney. let's have a reminder of what he said yesterday. >> this all comes down to mrs. pelosi's speakership. left to his own devices, i think chuck schumer and the senate democrats would cut a deal but they're protecting mrs. pelosi. she does not have the votes and if she cuts a deal with the president of any sort before her election on january 3rd, she's at risk of losing her speakership. >> all right, so you have that suggestion from mulvaney, saying that nancy pelosi doesn't want to make this deal because of that vote for house speaker is on the, you know, january 3rd on the floor there. how much truth there, even just the slightest bit of truth? >> not even a little bit. and look, i know mick. we served together. i consider him a friend of sorts. but he's got this entirely wrong. and i think they know it's wrong. they're trying to make nancy pelosi the demon in all of this. she has the votes to be speaker. she's going to be elected speaker next thursday. and that's a good thing for this

mick mulvaney knows our economy in and out. in just moments, conservative author jerome corsi joins me exclusively with break details you will only hear on "trish regan primetime." he says he has fresh proof robert mueller and his team are retaliating against him because he says he's daring t

mick mulvaney is a true patriot. will he push back on the president, will be a good chief of staff and won't be acting for very long. i'm sure he will be in that role for quite some time. >> it is hard to imagine president obama even picking somebody for chief of staff that called him a terrible human being. >> people actually wanted to be president obama's chief of staff. >> so he had more of a selection? >> that is different from the current circumstance. this is a smart move for mick mulvaney. he's ambitious for a reason, wanted this job for a reason. what's more interesting is who becomes the permanent chief of staff. >> mick has been great. you see him behind the podium, west wing in the white house there. he's great on tv. >> but it's not about mick mulvaney. we've seen the same exact process where donald trump ooh loves the chief of staff, talks about them on twitter, his best compliment, and then he starts to trash them. he lifts them up and then trashes them. >> i think mick understands what kelly had said.

they can't resist that in the case of mulvaney. maybe they can divide the issues and say he can talk about omb issues but not white house issues, but it does create another layer of complication. >> david, as john berman has taught me, it's never too early to talk about 2020. >> honestly there's all this posturing and positioning to talk about before our eyes. they're all running right now in ways that we're barely perceiving. >> the latest cnn/des moines register poll. joe biden, bernie sanders, beto o'rourke, elizabeth warren, kamala harris and corey booker. obama was third in a crowded field then. your thoughts as you see that list? >> yes. b beto o'rourke is a phenomenon now. he inspired people around the country with his campaign, particularly younger people. and that is the basis for a strong candidacy if he decides to run. he has the ability to raise the money that's necessary. more importantly, in some ways, he has a kind of ready-to-go organization around the country, young people in particular ready to march behind him. h

i think you might see a little bit of a return to that under mick mulvaney. look, mick mulvaney, and mark meadows, a potential candidate for the job are tea party republicans. they were the quote unquote reasonable nut job caucus in congress, and these are guys who are very much closer to donald trump's base. to the republican sort of very right wing base and in that sense, mick mulvaney gets the politics a lot better than i think john kelly might have. or even to some degree reince priebus. he has managed a lot of really sensitive issues with the president in a successful way. the thing about this job is that you have to be a gate keeper to the president and sort of pick and choose who has access, and i think that's always the most difficult job frankly in washington, and one of the biggest, most difficult jobs with this particular president because he's just going to go around you almost every time he doesn't like what you're saying and he's going to go with his gut. he's resistant to forming war councils and taking advice. he's given himself an out. he can

adding, mulvaney respects and believes in the president. he will be the president's third chief of staff in less than two years, and continue to serve as the budget director, all part of the administration's latest shake-up. president trump also announcing embattled interior secretary ryan zinke will be stepping down at the end of the year. zinke, who is facing numerous federal investigations into his travel, his business dealings, and potential conflicts of interest, would have been likely to come under more scrutiny with democrats set to take control of the house. in a tweet, zinke says, "i cannot justify spending thousands of dollars defending myself and my family against false allegations." the president is heading into the new week facing the possibility of a partial government shutdown. he's demanding $5 billion to fund the border wall. congressional democrats have their own proposal, but it's not what the president wants. so he's not budging. tom? >> stephanie, thank you. >>> next to that sweeping decision from a federal judge, strik

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your thoughts on mick mulvaney? >> i met with mick mulvaney over at the white house today. we were talking about other budget matters. mick mulvaney is a workhorse. he knows these spending issues inside and out. he also understands the intricacies of the oversight process that you previously led, jason, so having him by the president'ss side during these difficult times shows the importance of a wartime consigliere. mick's going to do a great job. i think the president made a great choice, and i'm excitedlt that we have a true movement conservative. someone who really believes in m the conservative movement and believes in the president fighting alongside our president for the great agenda of the country. >> jason: your thoughts, andy biggs, on mick mulvaney as chief of staff. >> he's smart and articulate and one of the things i love about mick is he doesn't suffer fools gladly. he's going to tell it like it is and make sure the work gets done. he's a movement conservative. he's going to go withe the president's line and help the president achieve his agenda. we need that.

mick mulvaney saying this is a tremendous honor. i look forward to working with the president and the team. it is going to be a great 2019. the president has said he wants someone he gets along with and sources say president trump likes that mick mulvaney is a former member of congress. >> i want somebody that is strong and that thinks like i do. it is my vision. it is my vision. ion. >> reporter: it ends speculation since the president announced john kelly's departure. the president tweeting for the record there were many people who wanted to be the white house chief of staff. names floated for the job, the vice president's chief of staff, north carolina representative and former governor chris christie -- former governor chris christie. the question is if the acting chief of staff title is a sign he may not be planning to stay for long. >> it is a killer job. it is a killer job ob in any administration. it is double so in the trump administration because of all the things that come at you. >> reporter: an official said john kelly

the audio of mick mulvaney was just uncovered by cnn's k-file team. andrew, where did mulvaney make these latest comments and what did he have to say? >> yeah, so mulvaney made these comments in a local news interview in south carolina in august 2015. and what is actually kind of interesting about them is he doesn't just sort of insult the president's view on immigration, calling it simplistic, but also says that a wall, physical barrier, won't actually stop undocumented immigrants from crossing the border. and he says people he talks to at the border, farmers, ranchers, don't actually want it. let's take a listen to what mulvaney said. >> the fence doesn't solve the problem. is it necessary to have one? sure. would it help? sure. but to just say, build the darn fence and have that be the end of immigration discussion is absurd and almost childish for someone running for president to take that simplistic a view. and, by the way, the bottom line is the fence doesn't stop anybody who really wants to get across. you go under, you go around, you go throug

the new acting chief of staff, mick mulvaney, trying to negotiate here. you know earlier cnn reported, he made some comments back in 2015 -- >> i happen to have that comment. this is mick mulvaney, so-called acting white house chief of staff, director of the office of management and budget, back on august 25th, 2015. he said in a radio interview, this. >> the fence is an easy thing to sell politically. it's an easy thing for a -- someone who doesn't follow the issue very closely to say, oh, well, that will just solve everything. build a fence mu. the fence doesn't solve the problem. to say build the fence and that will be the end of immigration discussion is absurd and almost childish for someone running for president to take that simplistic a view. and, by the way, the bottom line is the fence doesn't stop anybody who really wants to get across. you go under, you go around, you go through. >> you go up and you go down, you go through. this is -- jeffrey, go ahead. >> well, people come in on tourist visas, too. a lot of the immigration problem is not peop

mick mulvaney has a familiarity with every aspect of federal government. so for being the conductor, he's perfectly -- he's got the perfect job to learn. >> right. and it's also true that the short list wasn't all that long. so white house officials we talked to really waved us off the notion jared kushner was a serious contender. >> bossy was the front runner to me an hour ago. >> inside the west wing he was seen as a polarizing figure. he never really won jared and ivanka. which you need to be chief of staff. >> there's one director of communications. there's one political director in this white house. and they are all named donald j. trump. >> pure and simple. he is better off. this might be what he -- it's an acting chief of staff. but you know what? his office will be in the eisenhower building anyway. all right. we're going to pause here. >>> does every vote count? oh, boy, does it. did a candidate ignore that advice? oh, boy, he did. did he lose because of it? you'll have to tune in in a minute to find out. our dad was in the hospital. because of sm

mick mulvaney had the job earlier in the year. there's reluctance to move in. mulvaney makes sense. what the president is heading into is two years of pretty fierce open partisan warfare and probably could use somebody in that position that understands what that's going to be like and helps him cope with it. some of the other folks didn't have the mick mulvaney had. here's the problem, he's still head of the omb. >> he wanted to keep that. >> he wanted to keep that. not ready to give that up. the problem is, that's a senate confirmed job. that means the house and senate can pull him up to the hill to testify the way most chiefs of staff don't testify. that's because they're the president's personal aides. >> matt, i'm trying to figure out, maybe you know, you have connections to the white house, was the acting on behalf of mulvaney or the president? is he serious about trying to get a full-time chief of staff? >> every chief of staff is acting. you don't have the job for that long. it's about 18 months. obama had five. >> three in two years is a lot. >> it is pretty quick. i'll agre