Trump Slams DOJ and FBI In Tweetstorm; House And Senate To Begin Tax Bill Reconciliation; Billy Bush To Trump: Yes, You Said That.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump aims his wrath at the FBI after Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying in the Russia probe. Now, obstruction charges could hinge on a tweet that raises questions about why the president fired James Comey.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You tweet and comment regarding ongoing criminal investigations at your own peril. I'd be careful if I were you, Mr. President.</s>DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: And a bruising battle over taxes move on to the next phase. The House and the Senate will start to reconcile their two bills. We'll tell you where the GOP has some big gaps to close.</s>ROMANS: And it looks like Billy Bush is ready to come out of the shadows. In a scathing op-ed, he makes clear the president said exactly what you hear on that "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" tape. What will Bush say on the "THE LATE SHOW" tonight? Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.</s>BRIGGS: We've long wondered when his voice would return to this conversation. I'm Dave Briggs. It is 31 minutes past the hour. We start, though, with the president returning to an old playbook following the news of criminal charges in the Russia probe. He's lashing out at the Intelligence Community. This comes after former National Security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his discussions with the Russian ambassador during the transition.</s>ROMANS: In a series of tweets over the weekend, the president attacks the FBI and its former director James Comey. In one, he writes, "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more fake news covering Comey lie." That puts the president directly at odds with what Comey told Congress in June.</s>JAMES COMEY, FORMER DIRECTOR, FBI: I understood him to be saying that what he wanted me to do was drop any investigation connected to Flynn's account of his conversations with the Russians.</s>BRIGGS: President Trump's most notable tweet on Flynn turning state's evidence came Saturday. Quote, "I had to fire Gen. Flynn because he lied to the vice president and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies." Critics quickly pounced, saying if he fired Comey knowing the FBI was investigating Flynn that, on its own, may constitute obstruction of justice.</s>ROMANS: Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, now claims he drafted the president's tweet. But top Democrats in Congress say obstruction is very much a part of the wider investigation.</s>SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA), MEMBER, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: The Judiciary Committee has an investigation going, as well, and it involves obstruction of justice. And I think what we're beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice.</s>BRIGGS: So, President Trump now looking to shift the focus, seizing on the news that a member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team was removed and demoted over anti-Trump sentiments he had expressed in text messages. That agent was also in charge of the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation, most importantly.</s>ROMANS: Yes, let's talk about this a little bit. Joining us this morning for the first time, Laura Barron-Lopez. She's a congressional reporter for the "Washington Examiner." Good morning and welcome. Just a flurry of criticism over the weekend from the president to the FBI and the intelligence agencies, something that he is familiar --</s>BRIGGS: Sure.</s>ROMANS: -- a move in his playbook. But, boy, the tweet that may or may not be from his lawyer, John Dowd, really, really raising a lot of questions this morning.</s>LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER: That's right, it is. And so, you know, we still have a lot to figure out -- whether or not what the lawyer says is accurate, whether or not what Trump says is accurate. And so, it's definitely something that is adding to this pattern of did Trump obstruct justice when he fired Comey. And that's something that as Sen. Dianne Feinstein said, her side of the investigation on the Senate Judiciary Committee is looking into. That being said, that doesn't mean that Sen. Grassley, the chairman -- the Republican chairman of that committee is necessarily taking the same route. And so it remains to be seen whether or not Republicans in Congress are going to change course, given the tweets that they saw this weekend from Trump, and whether or not they are going to take a harder line looking at if the president impeded this investigation.</s>BRIGGS: Now, the FBI pushed back sternly on Twitter -- where else? This is the format of today. The FBI tweeting, "Every day, FBI special agents put their lives on the line to protect the American people from national security and criminal threats. Agents perform these duties with unwavering integrity and professionalism, and a focus on complying with the law and the constitution." It goes on, as you can see -- as you can screen. Rather extraordinary to see the FBI have to defend itself on social media. But, Laura, the problem with the FBI is right now we've learned, as we just mentioned, that Bob Mueller had to fire someone from the special counsel investigation for anti-Trump sentiments. That agent was also in charge of the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation. Does that cast some legit doubt on why Hillary Clinton's e-mails weren't further investigated?</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: Well look, I mean, Hillary Clinton's e-mails were investigated thoroughly, not only by the FBI but also by multiple congressional committees. And again, those multiple congressional committees came up with pretty much nothing when it came to that. And so, again, this is an attempt by Trump to deflect and distract, and that's something that Mueller is not going to allow when it comes to his investigation, and so he's stamped that out and is moving forward with it. You know, that being said, legality aside with also what Trump -- what Trump tweeted this weekend about whether or not -- kind of admitting to obstruction of justice. The president's tweets are completely abnormal. They're not -- they're not something that we are used to seeing. This isn't something that is normal at all and so it does send a signal the fact that he possibly obstructed justice and the war that he's engaging with the FBI. It sends a signal to countries abroad that the U.S. government, particularly the White House, is in a pretty volatile state.</s>ROMANS: Laura, you cover Congress. Let me ask you quickly how bruising you think the battle's going to be for tax reform. You know, we're getting this -- the president wants a -- wants a bill by -- what, by Christmas.</s>BRIGGS: Christmas.</s>ROMANS: How -- there's a lot of differences between the House and the Senate. What are you expecting?</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: Look, I'm expecting that that bill is actually going to make it all the way to the president's desk even though it is a very unpopular bill. It's one that Republicans pushed through without any Democratic input. But it's something that is -- I would be surprised if it doesn't reach the president's desk despite all the other --</s>ROMANS: You see -- you think it's unpopular because it's just so heavily weighted toward corporate tax relief, right?</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: Yes, that's one of the reasons. I mean, there's also -- you know, it doesn't help states like California and New York, and it definitely makes it more difficult in the SALT deductions. It takes away some of that. And so, that's one of the reasons that it's highly unpopular.</s>ROMANS: All right. Laura Barron-Lopez, nice to see you. Thank you for joining us this morning.</s>BARRON-LOPEZ: Thanks for having me.</s>ROMANS: Have a great morning. Let's talk a little bit about that. Both the House and the Senate bill promise big corporate tax cuts. There's no guarantee it will add jobs or raise wages, and it adds to the deficit. There are some big differences here. So what does all this mean for your tax return? First of all, personal tax cuts in the House version are permanent. In the Senate bill, those personal individual tax cuts expire by the year 2025. Also different, individual tax rates. The House has four tax brackets, the Senate keeps seven. It lowers most rates, including for the top earners. The Senate version also keeps some popular tax breaks that the House eliminates, like deductions for mortgages, medical expenses, and student loans. And while both increase the child tax credit, the Senate bill is more generous. One thing both versions agree on, permanent corporate tax cuts. The GOP argues that will mean higher wages for you. There is no guarantee. In fact, the current tax plan will likely raise taxes for all low- income and most middle-class Americans by the year 2027, while giving the biggest tax cuts to the top earners and eliminating the estate tax that mostly affects very, very uber-wealthy Americans.</s>BRIGGS: Yes, that wage increase will be interesting to watch because we saw in the U.K. very little, if almost no wage increase when they cut the corporate rate. We'll see. All right. It looks like Billy Bush is back, done lying low in the wake of that notorious "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD" tape which got him fired from NBC. The former co-host starting with a message to President Trump in the form of an op-ed in "The New York Times" headlined "Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That." Bush says he was prompted to speak out by news reports suggesting that the president is questioning the authenticity of the tape. Bush says the reports of Trump casting doubt on the tape hit a raw nerve.</s>ROMANS: Bush writes, "Every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this is real. We now know better. I can only imagine how it has reopened the wounds of the women who came forward with their stories about him and did not receive enough attention. This country is currently trying to reconcile itself to years of power abuse and sexual misconduct. Its leader is wantonly poking the bear." Bush is set to appear on "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" tonight.</s>BRIGGS: It's a conversation that ought to be brought back into this current environment in which it is a kind of a day of reckoning.</s>ROMANS: That op-ed on "The New York Times" a good read.</s>BRIGGS: Very interesting stuff. Check it out right now. All right. The long-time head of one of the world's most famous opera companies accused of sexual misconduct. How the New York Metropolitan Opera -- the Met -- is responding to James Levine, next.