Before Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland gave testimony before the House Intel Committee 's Wednesday impeachment hearing, those occupying the desk on MSNBC's pre-game show could hardly contain their excitement. They eagerly awaited the downfall of the Trump Administration and the schadenfreude that would inevitably come with seeing "Trumpists" react to Sondland's testimony.
After John Heilemann predicted that Sondland will not, "go quietly into the good night," that he is "not going to be a patsy or be the fall guy, he’s going to take everyone down with him" and that "some incredible things" are bound to happen, Joe Scarborough jumped in to agree.
Scarborough gleefully predicted, "Today, we're going to see, Trumpists are going to see Donald Trump turn on yet another one of his own." He then alluded to a Peter Baker headlined in The New York Times that quoted a former Bush official saying the White House is "cannibalizing itself." Mika Brzezinski and former Democratic Senator from Missouri Claire McCaskill both jumped into to reiterate, "the cannibalization of the White House."
Here's how the exchange went down:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And Claire, today, we're going to see, Trumpists are going to see Donald Trump turn on yet another one of his own. Peter Baker's headline, talking about the cannibalization.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Cannibalization of the White HouseCLAIRE MCCASKILL: Cannibalization of the White House
Continuing to predict the day's proceedings, Scarborough declared, "They are now going to try to destroy the reputation of Trumpist Sondland, Ambassador Sondland, who gave him $1 million and you do wonder after today, is Rudy Giuliani next?"
As it would happen, Scarborough and Heilemann's predictions turned out to be mostly incorrect.
Here is a transcript for the November 20 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Impeachment Coverage
9:04 AM ET
JOHN HEILEMANN: We're now back to those people again. As David Ignatius suggested earlier in the program, as Sondland now decides, as you put it, not going to go quietly into the good night, not going to be a patsy or be the fall guy, he’s going to take everyone down with him and is putting the harsh spotlight on Rudy Giuliani, on Mike Pompeo, on Donald Trump, now as this investigation moves into the next phase, the focus becomes, what will get John Bolton on to Capitol Hill to testify? Because John Bolton is someone who has a lot of direct knowledge. What are the calculations that Mike Pompeo and Rudy Giuliani make about their own futures, their political futures, their legal liability? These are now at the very senior levels of the Trump Administration, of the United States government and they are now -- they've been kind of hovering in the background for the entire month and a half that this scandal has been in play, they are now front and center on the stage—
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Right
HEILEMANN: -- and we’re see some incredible things happen over the next few weeks.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And Claire, today, we're going to see, Trumpists are going to see Donald Trump turn on yet another one of his own. Peter Baker's headline, talking about the cannibalization.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Cannibalization of the White HouseCLAIRE MCCASKILL: Cannibalization of the White House
SCARBOROUGH: cannibalization, it now extends, they are now going to try to destroy the reputation of Trumpist Sondland, Ambassador Sondland, who gave him $1 million and you do wonder after today, is Rudy Giuliani next?
