REPORT.

THE SESSIONS HEARING.

HERE'S LESTER HOLT.

>> GOOD DAY, EVERYONE.

WE'RE ABOUT TO WITNESS THE

LATEST TURN IN THE INVESTIGATION

INTO WHETHER THERE ARE TIES

BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP'S

CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIAN OFFICIALS.

IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS ATTORNEY

GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS WILL

TESTIFY BEFORE THE SENATE

INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE IN AN

OPEN SESSION.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ARE

EXPECTED TO QUESTION SESSIONS

ABOUT THE FIRING OF FBI DIRECTOR

JAMES COMEY, ABOUT HIS RUSSIAN

CONTACTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND

HIS DECISION BY SESSIONS TO

RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THE RUSSIA

INVESTIGATION.

OUR TEAM IS STANDING BY WITH

FULL COVERAGE OF THIS DAY.

NBC'S PETER ALEXANDER IS IN THE

HEARING ROOM.

PETER, SET THE STAGE.

A WEEK AFTER THE COMEY HEARING.

>> YEAH, LESTER.

THIS IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER

HIGH-TENSION DAY OF TESTIMONY

EXPECTED FROM THE ATTORNEY

GENERAL, JEFF SESSIONS.

TO GIVE YOU A SENSE, THIS IS THE

FIRST TIME THAT HE IS GOING TO

BE TESTIFYING IN AN OPEN HEARING

SINCE HE WAS CONFIRMED.

THAT'S ABOUT FIVE MONTHS AGO.

WE'LL DRILL DOWN ON SOME OF THE

LIKELY QUESTIONS HE'LL FACE.

AMONG THEM, IF HE RECUSED

HIMSELF FROM THE RUSSIA

INVESTIGATION, WHY DID HE STILL

TAKE PART IN RECOMMENDING THE

FIRING OF THE FBI DIRECTOR,

JAMES COMEY.

BEYOND THAT, HIS MEETINGS, HIS

CONTACTS WITH THE RUSSIAN

AMBASSADOR, SERGEY KISLYAK.

HE INITIALLY WAS NOT FORTHCOMING

ABOUT TWO OF THEM.

THERE IS SOME SUSPICION THERE

MAY HAVE BEEN A THIRD MEETING AS

WELL TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE DURING

THE CAMPAIGN.

WHAT WILL HE SAY ABOUT THAT.

BEYOND THAT, HOW DID HE TAKE

JAMES COMEY'S COMMENTS TO HIM

SUGGESTING THAT COMEY DIDN'T

WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE WITH

PRESIDENT TRUMP.

DID HE ACT ON THAT, WHAT ACTIONS

DID HE TAKE.

THOSE WILL BE AMONG THE

QUESTIONS THAT SESSIONS IS

PRESSED ON DURING THE COURSE OF

THIS HEARING TODAY.

>> ALL RIGHT, PETER, AS WE WATCH

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE SLOWLY

FILE IN AND TAKE THEIR SEATS AND

CONFERRING WITH STAFF THERE,

LET'S CONTINUE AROUND THE HORN.

OUR POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND

MODERATOR OF "MEET THE PRESS"

CHUCK TODD IS IN OUR WASHINGTON

BUREAU.

CHUCK, WILL WE LARGELY BE

LOOKING FOR A REBUTTAL TO WHAT

COMEY SAID HERE?

>> WE'LL SEE IF IT'S A

FULL-FLEDGED REBUTTAL.

I THINK JEFF SESSIONS HAS A

COUPLE OF DIFFERENT CHALLENGES

AND THEY MAY BE IN COMPETITION

WITH EACH OTHER.

ON ONE HAND HE HAS TO

RE-ESTABLISH HIS OWN CREDIBILITY

TO LEAD A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

THAT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN BADLY

DAMAGED POLITICALLY, BADLY

DAMAGED BY THE TESTIMONY FROM

JAMES COMEY, BADLY DAMAGED BY

SOME OF THE ACTIONS THAT PERHAPS

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DID

INADVERTENTLY OR NOT WHEN IT

COMES TO THOSE LACK OF REPORTING

THOSE MEETINGS ON RUSSIA.

BUT HE'S ALSO GOT A CREDIBILITY

PROBLEM WITH HIS BOSS, THE

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

WHO IS ANGRY AT HIM FOR RECUING

HIMSELF IN THE FIRST PLACE SO

HE'S GOT DIFFERENT MASTERS HE'S

TRYING TO FEED.

HE'S GOT A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

UNDER SIEGE AND HE'S GOT TO

REPRESENT THE CAREER FOLKS

THERE, AND AT THE SAME TIME

SOMEHOW RE-ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY

WITH HIS BOSS.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN DO BOTH

AT THE SAME TIME.

>> ALL RIGHT, CHUCK.

OUR CHIEF WHITE HOUSE

CORRESPONDENT, HALLIE JACKSON,

IS WATCHING ALL THIS.

HALLIE, AFTER THE COMEY HEARING,

THE PRESIDENT ESSENTIALLY

DROPPED THE MIKE, SAID THAT HE

GOT A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH,

THERE WAS NO INVESTIGATION AND

ALL BUT DECLARED IT OVER.

HOW CLOSELY WILL THE WHITE HOUSE

BE WATCHING THIS PARTICULAR

SESSION?

>> WELL, THE PRESIDENT WON'T BE

WATCHING IT, WE KNOW, LESTER,

FROM HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND

THAT IS BECAUSE HE IS ON AIR

FORCE ONE RIGHT NOW HEADED TO

WISCONSIN.

THAT PLANE DOES HAVE A

TELEVISION, SO IT IS LIKELY THE

PRESIDENT COULD SEE THE

BEGINNING OF THE TESTIMONY

BEFORE HE HEADS TO MILWAUKEE TO

TALK WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

I THINK THAT'S SYMBOLIC HERE.

THE PRESIDENT, THIS WHITE HOUSE,

WANTS TO BE TALKING ABOUT

ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN WHAT WE

ARE DISCUSSING.

THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT HEALTH

CARE, AS THE PRESIDENT HOSTED

REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS,

REPUBLICAN SENATORS HERE FOR

LUNCH EARLIER TODAY.

THEY WANT TO TALK TAX REFORM.

THEY WANT TO TALK VETERANS

ISSUES AS WELL.

BUT THIS, WHAT WE ARE WATCHING

NOW ON CAPITOL HILL, CONTINUES

TO BE THE DOMINANT FORCE AND THE

DOMINANT THEME DRIVING A LOT OF

IT.

THAT IS FRUSTRATING TO THE

PRESIDENT.

YOU HEAR ABOUT IT BOTH PRIVATELY

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND HEAR

ABOUT IT PUBLICLY AS THE

PRESIDENT TWEETS LIKE HE DID

TODAY ABOUT WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS

AN AGENDA OF HATE COMING FROM

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA.

AS FAR AS THE STRATEGY HERE, A

LOT OF THIS LOOKS SIMILAR TO

WHAT WE SAW JUST LAST THURSDAY.

THERE IS NOT NECESSARILY A

COUNTER STRATEGY IN THE SENSE

THAT WE SAW WITH JAMES COMEY, AN

EXPLICIT SORT OF OPPOSITION TO

WHAT YOU WERE HEARING IN THAT

SEAT.

INSTEAD IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT

OF BACKING UP WHAT SESSIONS HAD

TO SAY FROM ALLIES OF THE

PRESIDENT, POINTING TO HIS

EAGERNESS TO TESTIFY AS AN

INDICATION THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP

HAS NOTHING TO HIDE, LESTER.

>> ALL RIGHT, HALLIE JACKSON.

AGAIN, WE'RE WAITING FOR THE

GAVEL TO FALL, STILL WAITING FOR

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ITSELF

TO FILL THOSE SEATS.

PHOTOGRAPHERS AT THE READY TO

GET A PICTURE OF ATTORNEY

GENERAL SESSIONS AS HE TAKES HIS

SEAT THERE AND PREPARES TO TAKE

THE OATH BEFORE TESTIFYING.

I WANT TO CHECK IN WITH OUR

JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT, PETE

WILLIAMS.

PETE, WHAT ARE THE KEY QUESTIONS

THAT THIS COMMITTEE WILL NEED

AND LIKELY WANT TO HONE IN ON?

>> WELL, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT SOME

OF THEM FROM PETER, ABOUT THE

MEETINGS WITH THE RUSSIANS, WHY

HE -- IF HE WAS RECUSED HE TOOK

PART IN THE COMEY FIRING, WHAT

HE DID ABOUT MR. COMEY'S PLEA

NOT TO LEAVE HIM ALONE WITH THE

PRESIDENT, AND OF COURSE THEN

THERE'S THE QUESTION OF THE

SECURITY OF THE JOB FOR ROBERT

MUELLER.

NOW, MR. SESSIONS IS COMPLETELY

RECUSED FROM THAT.

BUT EARLIER TODAY ON THE OTHER

SIDE OF CAPITOL HILL, HIS

DEPUTY, ROD ROSENSTEIN, WAS

ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT

GIVEN THE FACT THAT SOME OF MR.

TRUMP'S FRIENDS HAVE SAID THEY

THINK HE'S THINKING ABOUT FIRING

COMEY.

ROD ROSENSTEIN SAID AS FAR AS HE

KNOWS THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE

CASE.

I'M ASSUMING FROM THE SOUND OF

THE SHUTTERS THAT THERE COMES

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

>> YEAH, HE'S ENTERING THE ROOM

RIGHT NOW, GREETING A FEW FOLKS,

THE CAMERAS CLICKING AWAY AS HE

PREPARES TO TAKE HIS SEAT THERE.

WE PRESUME WILL BE SWORN IN,

ASSUMING HE WASN'T SWORN IN OUT

OF CAMERA RANGE HERE.

BUT HE'LL BE TAKING QUESTIONS

FOR WHAT WILL PROBABLY -- THE

WHOLE HEARING WILL PROBABLY LAST

AROUND TWO HOURS OR SO FROM THE

GUIDANCE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED.

I WANT TO BRING IN ONE MORE TIME

CHUCK TODD.

CHUCK, WHAT ARE THE TRAPS THAT

HE HAS TO CONSIDER AS HE TAKES

THIS OATH?

>> I THINK THE BIGGEST ONE IS

HIS ROLE IN THE FIRING OF COMEY.

AND THE -- THE LETTER, WHY DID

HE PLAY A ROLE.

I THINK THAT IS THE MOST

DIFFICULT QUESTION HE'S GOING TO

FACE.

AND IT'S NOT WHAT IS HIS ANSWER,

WHAT DOES HE BELIEVE THE LINE IS

BETWEEN RECUSAL ON THE RUSSIA

INVESTIGATION AND OVERALL

OVERSIGHT OF THE FBI.

I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE

HARDEST QUESTION FOR HIM TO

ANSWER, AND THE ONE I HAVE NO

IDEA WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY.

>> WE SAW CHAIRMAN BURR A MOMENT

AGO MAKING HIS WAY UP TO THE

PANEL.

HE WILL TAKE HIS SEAT HERE

SHORTLY AND WE WILL BE UNDER

WAY.

TWO WEEKS IN A LOW NOW MARQUEE

PLAYERS IN FRONT OF THIS

COMMITTEE AS CONGRESS TRIES TO

MAP OUT WHAT COORDINATION OR

WHAT RELATIONSHIP THE TRUMP

CAMPAIGN MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD

WITH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND SOME

OF THOSE KEY QUESTIONS, THE

MEETINGS THAT JEFF SESSIONS HAD

WITH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS THAT WERE

NOT INITIALLY DISCLOSED DURING

HIS CONFIRMATION.

LET'S GO TO PETER ALEXANDER ONE

MORE TIME.

PETER, WHAT'S THE MOOD IN THE

ROOM THERE?

>> LESTER, RIGHT NOW YOU CAN SEE

THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND US.

THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO

GREET JEFF SESSIONS HERE.

ONE THING THAT STRIKES ME THAT

I'LL BE FOCUSED ON --

>> I'LL CALL THIS TO ORDER,

PLEASE.

>> THE GAVEL HAS FALLEN.

LET'S TAKE YOU INSIDE THE

HEARING.

ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS,

APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO

APPEAR BEFORE THE COMMITTEE

TODAY.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF

DEDICATED SERVICE AS A MEMBER OF

THIS BODY AND YOUR RECENT