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.