Chris? Thank you very much, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to prime time.

We have a new report that is a new window into how badly this president wants to silence any perceived opposition.

Did he want to fire the inspector general just for following the law with the whistleblower?

We are on the precipice, my friends, of the most telling period of this presidency.

There's only one option. Let's get after it.

Here we are. This day was all but inevitable for months. The eve of the first public impeachment hearings of President Donald J. Trump.

The New York Times reports on this night, Trump considered canning Michael Atkinson.

He is the intelligence community inspector general.

But the story is why.

Here's the full screen from their source.

He has said he believes Mr. Atkinson has been disloyal. How? For finding the whistleblower

credible and doing what his job is to move that complaint to people who can read it and assess it

and act on it.

This is the backdrop as we begin the most difficult weeks for this president.

You will hear for the first time from people who knew what was going on, describe what happened,

and why. An impeachment hangs in the balance.

A permanent asterisk of disgrace next to the name Trump if it goes that way.

This is heavy.

So let's look at how those loyal to this president will shape what comes next.

What do they want you to weigh in his favor?

Matt Schlapp, head of the conservative union, also head of a major Washington lobbying firm

called Cove Strategies. Welcome back to prime time. Good to be with you, Chris. Matt, let's deal with

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