WELCOME TO "TUCKER CARLSON

TONIGHT," IF YOU HAVE BEEN

WATCHING TELEVISION RECENTLY YOU

PROBABLY HEARD THE BAD NEWS.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS

OVER.

TOAST, COOKED, DONE FOR GOOD,

AND ALONG WITH IT ANY HOPE OF

THE MIDDLE-CLASS REVOLUTION THAT

63 MILLION AMERICANS VOTED FOR

TWO YEARS AGO, THE PRESIDENT HAS

BEEN CAUGHT COMMITTING FELONIES, TWO YEARS AGO, THE PRESIDENT HAS

HERE IS WHETHER LEGAL EXPERTS

WITHOUT LAW DEGREES ARE SAYING

ON TELEVISION.

>> IF PRECEDENT MEANS ANYTHING

IN THE TRUMP ERA, DONALD TRUMP,

MUST BE, WILL BE IMPEACHED

BECAUSE OF THE CRIMES THAT

PROSECUTORS SAY HE COMMITTED IN

THE MICHAEL COHEN CASE.

>> BOTH PARTIES NEED TO GET ON

BOARD TO PASS ARTICLES OF

IMPEACHMENT.

>> YOU HAVE CONSPIRACY, YOU HAVE

OBSTRUCTION COMING UP CAMPAIGN

FINANCE.

>> IF THE DEMOCRATS DO NOT

PURSUE THIS VIGOROUSLY, THEY

WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR

ABDICATING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

>> IT GOES TO THE MUELLER

QUESTION.

THE ETHICAL QUESTION.

A DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE.

TO SPEAK OF THIS CRIMINAL MUST

BE BROUGHT UP BY THE UNITED STAT

BE BROUGHT UP BY THE UNITED STAS

BE BROUGHT UP BY THE UNITED STAF

BE BROUGHT UP BY THE UNITED STAR

IMPEACHMENT.

>> Tucker: GOING TO SHOW YOU

THE DON THEM ON TAPE, BUT TO SUM

UP THEY ARE TELLING US THAT

WE ARE STARING DOWN THE BARREL

OF A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.

AND THEN CRISIS STEMS FROM WHAT

MSNBC DESCRIBES AS "THE CRIMES

PROSECUTOR SAVED THE PRESIDENT

COMMITTED IN THE MICHAEL COHEN

CASE."

WHICH CRIMES WERE THOSE?

WE HAVE THE ANSWER, THE RELEVANT

DETAILS WERE SPELLED OUT IN A

PIECE THAT RAN OVER THE WEEKEND

TO "THE NEW YORK TIMES" UNDER

THIS HEADLINE.

PROSECUTORS SAY THAT TO TRUMP

DIRECTED A LEAGUE ILLEGAL

PAYMENTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN.

THE GIST IS THIS, TRUMP'S FORMER

LAWYER MICHAEL COHEN HAS TOLD

FORMER PROSECUTORS THAT HE

FACILITATED PAYMENTS TO TWO

WOMEN WHO SAID THAT THEY HAD

AFFAIRS WITH DONALD TRUMP.

AND THEN, ACTUALLY, THAT IS IT.

THAT IS THE ENTIRE STORY RIGHT

THERE.

PAYING THE TWO WOMEN, SAYING FOR

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WAS A

SERIOUS CRIME, A CRIME WORTHY OF

IMPEACHMENT, IF NOT INDICTMENT.

OKAY, BUT YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING

HOW EXACTLY THAT IS CRIMINAL.

WE WILL STIPULATE THAT

EVERYTHING THAT MICHAEL COHEN

HAS TOLD THE FEDS IS ABSOLUTELY

TRUE.

ASSUMING ANNA'S FEE IS NOT A

WISE IDEA WITH MICHAEL COHEN,

BUT FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT

LET'S DO IT IN THIS CASE.

EVERYTHING HE SAYS IS TRUE, WHY

IS WHAT HE IS LEGEND A CRIMINAL

OFFENSE?

REMEMBER THE FACTS OF THE STORY

ARE UNDISPUTED, TWO WOMEN

APPROACH DONALD TRUMP AND

THREATENED TO RUIN HIS CAREER

AND RUIN HIS FAMILY IF HE DOES

NOT GIVE THEM MONEY.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A CLASSIC CASE

OF EXTORTION.

BUT FOR WHATEVER REASON TRUMP

CAVES TO IT AND DIRECTS MICHAEL

COHEN TO PAY THE RANSOM.

NOW MORE THAN TWO YEARS LATER

TRUMP IS A FELON FOR DOING THIS.

IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE ANY

SENSE.

OH, BUT YOU ARE NOT A FEDERAL

PROSECUTOR ON A POLITICAL

MACHINE.

IF YOU WERE A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

ON A POLITICAL MACHINE, YOU

WOULD CONSTRUE THOSE EXTORTION

PAYMENTS AS CAMPAIGN

CONTRIBUTIONS.

YOU DO THIS EVEN THOUGH THE

MONEY IN QUESTION DID NOT COME

FROM OR GO TO DONALD TRUMP'S

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

THEY KNEW WOULD CLAIM THAT TRUMP

AND MICHAEL COYNE VIOLATED

CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW BECAUSE

THEY DID NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSE

THOSE PAYMENTS.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT DISCLOSING

THEM WOULD NULLIFY THE REASON

FOR MAKING THEM IN THE FIRST

PLACE WHICH WAS TO KEEP THE

WHOLE THING SECRET.

THAT IS THE ARGUMENT YOU WOULD

MAKE BOTH IN FEDERAL COURT AND

FOR YOUR PROXIES ON CABLE

TELEVISION.

IT IS INSULTINGLY STUPID.

BUT BECAUSE EVERYONE IN POWER

HATES THE TARGET OF YOUR

INVESTIGATION, NOBODY WOULD

QUESTION YOU.

AND THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING

RIGHT NOW.

NOW BY THIS REASONING, ANY MONEY

OF POLITICAL CANDIDATE SPENDS TO NOW BY THIS REASONING, ANY MONEY

MAINTAIN OR PROTECT THEIR IMAGE

DURING OFFICE NOW QUALIFIES AS A

REGULATED CAMPAIGN DONATION AND

HAS TO BE DISCLOSED.

THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED WITH AN

INFINITE NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS,

BUYING TOOTHPASTE AND GETTING A

HAIRCUT.

IT WOULD DEFINITELY INCLUDE THE

TAXPAYER FINANCE SLUSH FUND THAT

CONGRESS HAS SET ASIDE TO PAY

OFF ITS OWN SEXUAL HARASSMENT

CLAIMS.

YES, THOSE NOW QUALIFY AS

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

THEY MUST BE PUBLICLY DISCLOSED.

EXCEPT, OF COURSE THEY ARE NOT

PUBLICLY DISCLOSED AND THEY

NEVER WILL BE.

WHY IS THAT?

THAT MAY BE A QUESTION FOR

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS INCLUDING,

NOW THAT WE THINK ABOUT IT, ADAM CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS INCLUDING,

NOW THAT WE THINK ABOUT IT, ADAMSCHIFF FROM BURBANK, CALIFORNIA.

THE INCOMING CHAIRMAN OF THE

HOUSE OF INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.

WHAT DOES HE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT

CONGRESS NOT DISCLOSING THE VERY

CONGRESS NOT DISCLOSING THE VERY

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAT

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAU

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAP

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAS

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAO

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAL

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAD

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAB

SAME PAYMENTS THAT DEMOCRATS SAE

IMPEACHED FOR NOT DISCLOSING.

LET'S ASK HIM.

>> THERE IS A REAL PROSPECT THAT

ON THE DAY DONALD TRUMP LEAVES

OFFICE, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

MAY INDICT HIM.

THAT HE MAY BE THE FIRST

PRESIDENT IN QUITE SOME TIME TO

FACE THE PROSPECT OF JAIL TIME.

>> TRUMP KNOWS THAT HE IS FACING

SOME PRETTY STRONG CRIMINAL

LIABILITY WHEN HE LEAVES OFFICE,

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

AND EVEN IF A SITTING PRESIDENT

CANNOT BE INDICTED, HE HAS TO

KNOW THAT HIS FUTURE LOOKS LIKE

IT IS BEHIND BARS UNLESS HE CUTS

SOME SORT OF DEAL WITH THE

PROSECUTORS.

>> Tucker: SO TO TRANSLATE,

TRUMP IS A CRIMINAL, HE IS GOING

TO JAIL.

FOR COMMITTING THE SMALLER

VERSION OF THE MADE UP A CRIME

THAT WE IN CONGRESS HAVE

COMMITTED FOR YEARS AND FORCE

YOU TO PAY FOR.

WE ARE NEVER APOLOGIZING FOR

THAT.

BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE TO, AND