GUEST TONIGHT IS THE CO-HOST OF "MORNING JOE" ON MSNBC.

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," JOE SCARBOROUGH AND

MIKA BRZEZINSKI!

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.

WE'VE NOT HAD YOU GUYS HERE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.

WHAWIVET DOING?

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN THE WORLD?

IMPEACHMENT LOOMS.

>> WHEN SHE'S READY.

>> Stephen: WHEN MRS. PELOSI IS READY.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

SHE SAID SHE'S GOING TO SEND IT OVER THIS WEEK, THE ARTICLES OF

IMPEACHMENT.

DO YOU THINK THAT WAS A SMART THING THAT SHE DID TO HOLD THESE

BACK FOR A WHILE?

>> I DON'T THINK SHE'S THINKING ABOUT THAT.

I THINK SHE'S DOING WHAT SHE FELT SHE NEEDED TO DO.

IT DID BECOME APPARENT PERHAPS MR. BOLTON MIGHT SPEAK AND THAT

WAS HELPFUL AND OTHER THINGS MIGHT COME OUT, BUT I DON'T

THINK SHE'S LISTENING TO US AND STRSTRATEGIZING.

>> Stephen: I DON'T THINK SHE'S ASKING FOR OUR OPINION,

BUT IT IS A POWER MOVE IN ORDER TO GET SOMETHING THAT SHE THINKS

SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE SENATE WHICH IS A FAIRER TRIAL.

IT IS, I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU IF YOU HAVE A FAIR TRAIL, RIGHT?

>> MM-HMM.

AND SHE'S METHODICAL.

>> I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT MOVE.

SHE ACTUALLY CREATED SPACE.

YOU KNOW, IN SOCCER, YOU TALK ABOUT MAKING SPACE FOR THE

PLAYERS.

SHE ACTUALLY MADE SPACE AND, IN THAT SPACE, REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY

GOT A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS.

BOLTON, OF COURSE, COMING OUT SAYING HE COULD TESTIFY.

THE LONGER THAT WENT ON, YOU LOOKED AT THE POLLS, IT SHOWED

MORE AND MORE AMERICANS WANTED TO HEAR THE TESTIMONY.

SO NOW WE'RE HEARING TODAY THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT YOU

MAY HAVE SOME REPUBLICAN DEFECTORS IN THE SENATE ACTUALLY

DEMANDING THAT THEY HEAR -- ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT.

>> RIGHT.

>> Stephen: JOE, YOU WROTE AN OP-ED MO "THE WASHINGTON POST"

IN DECEMBER TALKING ABOUT IMPEACHMENT AND COURAGE.

WHO NEEDS THE COURAGE HERE?

>> EVERYBODY.

I THINK EVERY REPUBLICAN.

I ALSO THINK DEMOCRATS, AS FAR AS UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT

THEY'RE DOING IS NOT ABOUT 2020, WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS ABOUT

HISTORY, IT'S ABOUT SENDING A MESSAGE TO FUTURE PRESIDENTS,

IT'S ABOUT SENDING A MESSAGE TO FUTURE POLITICIANS, AND WHAT I

FOUND AT MY VERY LOW LEVEL IN POLITICS WHEN I WAS IN THE HOUSE

THAT, WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE NEXT ELECTION,

REMARKABLE THINGS HAPPEN.

PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOU, PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU.

WHEN THEY DON'T THINK YOU'RE CALCULATING BUT YOU'RE DOING

SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU THINK IT'S THE RIGHT THING, THEN THEY

FOLLOW.

>> Stephen: WHO HAS SHOWN COURAGE SO FAR?

EITHER ONE OF YOU HAS THE JUMP BALL.

>> WELL, YOU SEE IT COMING OUT AT TIMES, BUT THEN --

>> Stephen: LIKE A GROUNDHOG JUST POKING ITS HEAD UP?

>> ONCE A YEAR FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES.

>> YEAH, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME REPUBLICANS WHO WILL KIND

OF GO HALFWAY THERE AND THEN PULL BACK.

>> THAT'S WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, WHAT JOB IS WORTH

SELLING YOUR POLITICAL SOUL FOR?

WHAT JOB IS WORTH DOING?

( APPLAUSE ) WHAT SO MANY OF THESE

REPUBLICANS ARE AWARE, WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE

RUNNING IN REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES, AND YOU CAN PREDICT WHAT THEY'RE

GOING TO DO.

IT'S -- YEAH, IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING.

>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT IRAN AND THE RECENT SORT OF

DESTABILIZING OF THE REGION AND THE WORLD.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NERVOUS ALL OVER THE PLACE WHAT'S GOING ON

THERE.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TRUMP?

>> WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE I INITIALLY THOUGHT THAT

THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF HIS MAJOR DEFLECTIONS.

>> Stephen: PERHAPS SO WE WOULDN'T TALK ABOUT IMPEACHMENT?

>> WE'VE ALWAYS WONDERED HOW FAR HE WOULD GO TO DISTRACT FROM

WHAT IS GOING ON, AND NOBODY SEEMED TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT

WAS THE BASIS FOR THE DECISION, AND THERE ARE PEOPLE SAYING,

WELL, I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE INFORMATION.

THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DID NOT HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE

BASIS FOR THIS ATTACK BUT TRUSTS THE PRESIDENT.

I MEAN, WE'RE IN CRAZY TOWN AND IT'S AROUND THE WORLD NOW AND

IT'S ADJUSTING OUR ENTIRE PLACE IN THE WORLD.

>> Stephen: AND EVIDENTLY THIS WAS APPROVED SEVEN MONTHS AGO SO

HOW IMMINENT COULD IT HAVE BEEN.

>> AND TALKED ABOUT AT THE PARTIES AT MAR-A-LAGO LIKE

SOMETHING BIG IS COMING, GET READY.

>> Stephen: YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN TO MAR-A-LAGO, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE?

NOBODY TOLD ME ANY STATE SECRETS, HE WASN'T PRESIDENT

THEN, THERE WERE NO NORTH KOREAN BRIEFINGS ON THE 19th GREEN.

>> Stephen: DID YOU HEAR SECRETS OF "THE APPRENTICE," WHO

MIGHT WIN THAT?

>> EXACTLY.

LOT OF GOOD STUFF.

A LOT OF OMAROSA STUFF.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

FRUSTRATES ME IS YOU HEAR THE COMMON REFRAIN, WHEN IS DONALD

TRUMP GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?

WHEN IS HE GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THE LIES AND THE RECKLESSNESS?

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE PROVEN HE ALREADY HAS AND HE WILL

AGAIN.

THE 2018 ELECTION, THERE WAS A REASON WHY, IN THE HOUSE,

REPUBLICANS LOST BY THE LARGEST VOTE LANDSLIDE IN THE HISTORY OF

THE REPUBLIC.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE POLLS -- ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )

>> Stephen: THAT'S A HOPEFUL IDEA.

>> THAT IS A HOPEFUL IDEA.

AND ALSO WITH IRAN.

I MEAN, YES, PERHAPS DONALD TRUMP WAS CYNICAL, BUT YOU LOOK

AT THE POLLS THAT HAVE COME OUT, AMERICANS ARE SCARED.

THEY'RE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS.

ONLY ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS BELIEVE THAT THE ATTACK ON

SOLEIMANI MAKES AMERICA A SAFER PLACE, AND THE OVERWHELMING

MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WERE AGAINST THE STRIKE, REGARDLESS

OF THE FACT I THINK MOST AMERICANS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS

WAS A REALLY, REALLY BAD GUY BUT SO WAS KIM JONG UN, SO IS ASSAD.

THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY BAD GUYS ON EARTH WHO --

>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT STRUCK ME ABOUT IT IS, YES, I'M NOT

ARGUING WHETHER SOLEIMANI WAS, YOU KNOW, A GOOD PERSON OR A BAD

PERSON.

I TRUST ALL THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT SOLEIMANI ARE ACCURATE

BECAUSE THEY'RE COMING FROM ALL SIDES, BUT I SORT OF AMMO FENDED

THAT THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET THEIR LIES IN ORDER AND

PUT A UNIFIED FACE ON THE LIE.

>> THEY'RE NOT EVEN TRYING ANYMORE.

>> Stephen: WHAT SAYS TO ME WE DON'T MATTER, OUR OPINION

DOESN'T MATTER ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, THAT I'M INSULTED AS AN

AMERICAN.

AS A CATHOLIC, I PUT MY DOLLAR IN THE COLLECTION PLATE, I WANT

TO SEE GOLD LEAF ON THE WALLS.

AS AN AMERICAN I PAY MY TAXES AND I WANT THEM TO PUT SOME

ENERGY INTO IT.

( APPLAUSE ) >> THEY STARTED BY SAYING IT WAS

IMMINENT.

LAST SUNDAY, POMPEO SAID THIS WAS A BAD GUY, DOESN'T MATTER IF

IT WAS IMMINENT OR NOT.

THEN THE TRUMP DEFENDERS IN THE PAPER AND THE PRESS STARTED

DOING THE SAME THING.

THEN THIS PAST SUNDAY THE STORY CHANGES AND WE HEAR THEY HAVE

BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR SEVEN MONTHS, SO, AGAIN, IF YOU

BELIEVE KILLING ONE OF THE CENTRAL FIGURES IN THE MIDDLE

EAST OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS IS CRITICAL TO AMERICA'S NATIONAL

SECURITY, OKAY, MAKE THE ARGUMENT, EXPLAIN TO US WHY, BUT

THEY HAVEN'T DONE THAT, AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS SO DANGEROUS.

IT'S SO AD HOC.

AGAIN, LISTEN, KIM JONG UN'S A BAD GUY, IS HE NEXT ON THE KILL

LIST?

IS ASSAD NEXT ON THE KILL LIST?

HE KILLED 500,000 PEOPLE.

SADDAM KILLED A LOT OF ARABS, KILLED MORE ARABS THAN ANYBODY

ELSE, TAKING HIM OFF THE EARTH HASN'T EXACTLY STABILIZED THE

REGION ANYMORE THAN KILLING GADHAFI HAS.

SO, AGAIN, GIVE US YOUR JUSTIFICATION.

THE FACT THAT THEY DON'T EVEN TRY, THE ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T

EVEN TRY, THE REPUBLICANS DON'T EVEN TRY IS, YEAH, IT'S DEEPLY

CONCERNING BECAUSE WHAT'S NEXT?

>> Stephen: FOLKS, WE'VE GOT TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.

PLEASE DON'T GO ANYWHERE.

BACK WITH MORE OF JOE SCARBOROUGH AND MIKA BRZEZINSKI.

SHE'S GOT A BOOK!