WEBVTT

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IN THE WAKE OF HIS LOSS.

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LET’S GO STRAIGHT TO NBC’S

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MONICA ALBA OUTSIDE THE WHITE

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HOUSE.

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GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU.

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WE JUST LEARNED ABOUT THIS A

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COUPLE MINUTES AGO.

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IN A TWEET FROM THE PRESIDENT,

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TAKE US THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW.

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AND OUR COLLEAGUE CAROL LEE HAD

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REPORTED THAT ESPER HAD PERHAPS

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BEFORE THE ELECTION, OR AROUND

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THE TIME OF ELECTION NIGHT, HAD

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DRAFTED A RESIGNATION LETTER

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ALREADY IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS.

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>> YEAH.

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INCREDIBLE REPORTING BY MY

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COLLEAGUES WHO HAD BEEN

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DOCUMENTING THE PRESIDENT’S

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DISPLEASURE WITH SECRETARY ESPER

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FOR MONTHS.

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WE’VE SEEN IT AIRED PUBLICLY AND

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PRIVATELY ACCORDING TO

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REPORTING.

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AND THREE DEFENSE OFFICIALS HAD

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TOLD THEM THAT INDEED SECRETARY

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ESPER HAD DRAFTED THIS LETTER

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BEFORE LAST WEEK, BEFORE THE

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ELECTION, KNOWING THIS COULD BE

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THE POTENTIAL OUTCOME, AND THAT

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THE PRESIDENT AS ONE OF HIS

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FIRST ACTS IF HE HAD LOST, OR

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EVEN IF HE POTENTIALLY WON

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RE-ELECTION, WOULD HAVE MOVED TO

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GET RID OF SOME CABINET

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OFFICIALS WHOM HE HAD CLASH WITH

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AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST,

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ACCORDING TO THE TWEET THAT

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WE’RE NOW JUST SEEING, IT

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APPEARS TO BE SECRETARY OF

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DEFENSE MARK ESPER.

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NOW WE UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT

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MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS IS

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THE FACT THAT SECRETARY ESPER

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WOULD HAVE MAYBE RENAMED OR MADE

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IT EASIER TO RENAME SOME OF THE

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MILITARY BASES.

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SOMETHING THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS

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VERY MUCH AGAINST AND HAD MADE

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THAT VERY WELL KNOWN.

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AND BECAUSE OF THAT, HE KNEW HE

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WAS MAYBE GOING TO BE A TARGET.

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BUT REALLY, KASIE, IT SHOWS YOU

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THIS IS THE PRESSES’S FIRST ACT

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IN A POST JOE BIDEN AS THE

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PRESIDENT-ELECT WORLD.

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RIGHT?

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THIS IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL

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BUSINESS THAT WE SEE HIM DOING.

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AND SOMETHING THAT REMINDS POEM,

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HE IS STILL THE CURRENT OCCUPANT

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OF 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

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BEHIND ME AND CAN DO ALL THESE

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THINGS.

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ESPECIALLY AS A LAME DUCK

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PRESIDENT OVER THE NEXT 70 DAYS

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OR SO.

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AND WE CAN EXPECT WE’RE TOLD BY

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WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, THERE

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WILL LIKELY BE MORE OF THIS

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ACTION TO COME IN THE COMING

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WEEKS.

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WHAT STANDS OUT HERE IS THAT WE

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HAVEN’T SEEN THE PRESIDENT DO

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ANY PUBLIC EVENTS OVER THE LAST

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FOUR DAYS APART FROM GOLFING AT

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HIS GOLF COURSE IN VIRGINIA OVER

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THE WEEKEND.

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SO THIS IS WHITE HOUSE SIGNALING

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TO US THAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOW

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BACK IN THE OVAL OFFICE HAVING

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THESE MEETINGS, DOING THINGS A

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LITTLE MORE NORMAL AS OPPOSED TO

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THE LAST FEW DAYS, ALL WE HEARD

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WAS ALL THESE BASELESS CLAIMS ON

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TWITTER.

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TODAY FIRING HIS DEFENSE

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SECRETARY AND REPLACING HIM WITH

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SOMEONE ELSE.

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PROBABLY A PREVIEW OF WHAT WE’RE

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LIKELY TO SEE IN THE COMING

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DAYS.

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>> MONICA, I IMAGINE A LOT OF

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AMERICANS ARE LOOKING AT THIS

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AND WONDERING, YOU KNOW, HE LOST

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THE ELECTION.

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HE IS GOING TO BE LEAVING THE

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WHITE HOUSE.

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WHY IS THE COUNTRY BETTER OFF

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WITHOUT A CONFIRMED DEFENSE

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SECRETARY IN POLICE THAN THEY

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WOULD BE WITH ONE?

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DESPITE THIS?

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IT IS ONLY A FOUND MONTHS LEFT

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OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.

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ARE WE LOOKING AT HIS

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PERSONALITY COMING TO BEAR ON

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GOVERNMENT?

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>> WE’RE ABOUT TO REPORT THIS

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OUT MORE.

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IT STRIKES ME THIS IS AN

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EXECUTIVE WHO WANTS TO REMIND

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PEOPLE THAT HE IS STILL THE

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COMMANDER IN CHIEF AND CAN MAKE

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THESE DECISIONS.

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FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS HE’S BEEN

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MOSTLY SITTING BY THE

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GUIDELINES, COMPLAINING, AIRING

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HIS GRIEVANCES, BELIEVING THIS

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ELECTION WAS SOMEHOW STOLEN FROM

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HIM.

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MAKING CLAIMS THAT VOTER FRAUD

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ARE COMPLETELY NOT BACKED BY ANY

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EVIDENCE.

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THERE HAS BEEN NO WIDESPREAD

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VOTER FRAUD.

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WE CAN’T SAY THAT ENOUGH.

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HE IS A PRESIDENT ON HIS HEELS.

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AND WHO IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,

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AS HE IS GOING TO BE LEAVING THE

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WHITE HOUSE, I THINK MANY AIDES

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AROUND HIM WOULD SAY, HE MAY BE

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THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT.

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HE DOESN’T WANT TO GO OUT

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WITHOUT A FIGHT.

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THIS MAY BE WHERE WE SEE OTHER

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NAKSS OTHER AREAS AS THE

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PRESIDENT TO ME WHAT THIS

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SIGNALS IS HIM ACCEPTING THE

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REALITY NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME

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IN A MORE CONCRETE WAY THAT HE

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IS GOING TO BE LEAVING

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WASHINGTON AND THE WHITE HOUSE.

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SO HE’S TRYING TO MAKE THESE