So to use a football term, President Trump and Republicans have beaten the spread on surviving the initial political fallout of all of this. And while that's true, it's also hard to argue that having roughly 50 percent of the voters wanting you removed from office immediately is where any president wants to be right now as well. Now, Republicans are quick to point out that weeks of impeachment hearings have not increased the public's appetite for impeachment.
Delegitimizing the process also makes it easier for many Republican senators, like John Kennedy of Louisiana perhaps, who'll join me in a moment, to vote to acquit the president in an impeachment trial. The Republican strategy has been to focus on the impeachment process, delegitimize it and scare newly-elected House Democrats in swing districts into voting against impeachment. Trump has repeatedly called the impeachment investigation a sham, a scam, and a hoax. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler has given President Trump and his lawyers until 5pm on Friday to decide whether to take part at all. With the House Judiciary Committee beginning the formal process of drawing up charges against the president, the White House faces a new deadline. I hope you’ve been enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend. From NBC News in Washington, the longest running show in television history, this is Meet the Press with Chuck Todd.
