BREAKING: Tom Emmer drops out of House speaker race hours after winning GOP nomination

KNOW WHERE THAT TABLE HE IS. >> YOCHEVED LIFSHITZ LIVE FOR US IN MICHIGAN. THANK YOU. WE’VE GOT BREAKING NEWS FROM CAPITOL HILL THREE SOURCES HAVE CONFIRMED THAT CONGRESSMAN TOM EMMER HAS DROPPED OUT OF THE RACE JUST HOURS AFTER BEING NOMINATED BY HIS HOUSE REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES. BACK WITH ME NOW WITH THE BREAKING NEWS IS IN THE SCENE IS’ — NBC NEWS NOW GARRETT HAAKE. >> THE ANSWER APPEARS TO BE ABOUT FOUR HOURS. THAT IS ABOUT HOW LONG HE WAS THE SPEAKER DESIGNEE. THE MAJORITY OF THAT TIME SPENT IN THE COMMITTEE ROOM BEHIND ME. HE BOLTED OUT

HERE WITH SOME OF HIS COLLEAGUES, DIDN’T SAY A WORD TO THE CAMERAS. HE DISCLOSED THAT HE WOULD BE DROPPING OUT OF THE RACE. IT NO LONGER SAW PAT. I THINK THERE WAS SOME ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THE DONALD TRUMP OPPOSITION TO HIM — STARTING TODAY, SORT OF SOFTLY APPROACHING. HE WOULD HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME BACKING OUT. MY COLLEAGUES, THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE. EMMER WILL BE OUT. THERE IS A PHYSICAL SENSE OF A SCRAMBLE RIGHT NOW. WE ARE ON THE AIR RIGHT NOW. WOULD YOU MAKE OF THIS NEWS? >> YOU KNOW, I LIKE TOM A LOT.

HE IS A NICE GUY, SOMEBODY I GET ALONG WITH. I COULDN’T SUPPORT HIM FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. HIS VOTING RECORD IS WHAT TURNS

ME. HE VOTED AGAINST TRUMP ON TRANSGENDER IN THE MILITARY. HE VOTED FOR THE DEMOCRATIC A BILL THAT OPENS UP CHURCHES AND BILL THAT OPENS UP CHURCHES AND OTHER PLACES TO LAWSUITS. THAT IS NOT A MOVEMENT THAT I CAN SUPPORT. >> YOU INDICATED THAT YOU COULDN’T CHANGE HER OPINION, YOU ARE SORT OF LOCKED IN ON OPPOSING HIM? >> I OPPOSED HIM OPENLY IN THE CONFERENCE. THAT WAS SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR ME. THERE WAS

MORE CONVERSATIONS THAT WENT ON IN THE CURRENT’S. HE HAS DROPPED OUT NOW. I THINK THIS IS GOOD. HERE’S WHAT IS GOING ON, THE CONFERENCE IS CHANGING. IT IS CHANGING TO REFLECT AMERICA FIRST. REPUBLICAN VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP. THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE SHOULD DO SO. >> HE COULDN’T COME ANY CLOSER THAN TOM EMMER. HOW DO YOU GET ANYBODY FROM ANY FACTION TO 217 VOTES? >> THAT IS WHAT WE WILL HAVE TO DO. 133 BALLOTS TO ELECT A SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. I DON’T THINK CONGRESS WILL GO THROUGH WITH IT. I THINK CONGRESS NEEDS TO

LEARN A LESSON. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS NOT WORSE FOR THE PEOPLE IN A LONG TIME. I THINK CONGRESS NEEDS TO LEARN TO DO A BETTER JOB. THE BORDER IS UNBELIEVABLE. WE GOT TERRORISTS COMING IN OUR COUNTRY. THE PRESIDENT IS LEADING US TO WORLD WAR III. >> THEY GET REJECTED BECAUSE THEY CAN GET THE REPUBLICAN VOTES TO MOVE CLOSER GETTING THE DEMOCRATIC VOTES. THE PEOPLE DO START WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE ON THIS ISSUE >> I THINK THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. THAT IS THE THREAT CONSTANTLY BROUGHT UP. EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN IN THE CONFERENCE IS ELECTED

BY REPUBLICAN VOTERS. THEY MAY BE N A BIDEN DISTRICT, BUT THEY ARE STILL LARGELY ELECTING THE REPUBLICAN VOTERS. THEY ARE SUPPORTED BY DONATIONS WITH REPUBLICAN DONORS. I THINK IT WOULD BE — FOR ANY REPUBLICAN ON CONFERENCE TO JOIN THE DEMOCRATS AND ELECT THE SPEAKER. >> HOW MUCH DID HE VOTE TO CERTIFY THE ELECTION HAVE TO DO WITH THE OPPOSITION AGAINST THEM QUICK >> IT PLAYED A BIG ROLE FOR ME. I VOTED TO OBJECT. I DON’T THINK THAT WAS A FAIR ELECTION. I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF ELECTION FRAUD. YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING, IT

IS OKAY TO SAY THAT. NO ONE SPEECH SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. I COULDN’T SUPPORT A SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN? >> THERE WERE MANY REASONS. HE ALSO VOTED AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER BAND IN THE MILITARY. I DON’T SUPPORT THAT. I’M TRYING TO MAKE IT A FELONY TO PERFORM TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON CHILDREN. THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE NEEDS TO REFLECT THE VIEWS AND THE WILL OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS. >> OH, GET OVER IT. GUESS WHAT, I THINK IT WAS STOLEN. I CAN SAY THAT ALL DAY LONG. >> WELL, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ARE

STILL WITH US, BUT I THINK THAT WAS ILLUMINATING IN A LOT OF WAYS. THE CONGRESSWOMAN’S COMPLAINTS HERE WERE ECHOED BY SOME OF THESE OTHER MEMBERS HERE. I THINK SHE REPRESENTS ONE FACTION OF THIS PARTY. YOU HEARD HER SAY I THINK THE PARTY IS CHANGING. I DON’T THINK ANYONE IN ANY FACTION WOULD DISPUTE THAT. WITH WHAT DIRECTION THEY ARE GOING, WHO SHOULD LEAD THEM. GOING ON THREE WEEKS, WE HAVE NO ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. I AM NOT SURE WE ARE ANY CLOSER TO FINDING ONE TONIGHT. >> I ASKED YOU, DO THEY HAVE A BACKUP PLAN AT

THIS POINT? IT IS CLEAR THAT THEY DO NOT. SHE BROUGHT UP SPEAKER’S RACE, 133 BALLOTS, YOU KNOW, HOW REASSURING IS THAT? WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS GOING FROM HERE? >> LOOK, I THINK THERE ARE COUPLE OF BACKSTOPS THAT WILL FORCE THIS ISSUE. PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS GOVERNMENT FUNDING. I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION, THIS ALL STARTED WITH THE CR, RIGHT, A CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT FOR A SHORT TIME. IT WAS THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE BACK OF HIS SUPPORT IN THE CONFERENCE. EVERYDAY, WE GET CLOSE TO THE FUNDING DEADLINE COMING UP. IT

IS ANOTHER LONGER-TERM VERSION OF EXACTLY THE KIND OF LEGISLATION MORE LIKELY. I THINK THAT IS THE THING THAT ULTIMATELY, SOMEBODY WILL HAVE TO DEVOTE. IT WILL BE AN UGLY JOB. EVERY DAY, THEY WASTE NOT WORKING ON THE APPROPRIATION BILLS, NEGOTIATING WITH DEMOCRATS. IT IS A DAY THAT MAKES IT MORE LIKELY THEY WILL HAVE TO TAKE A BILL THEY HATE AND PASS IT TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, OR TO TURN THEM BACK ON AFTER SHUTDOWN. HONESTLY, GAVE, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE ONLY MECHANISM TO FORCE HIS GROUP TO PICK A LEADER. IN THAT MOMENT, SOMEBODY

WILL HAVE TO TO PASS IT ON THE HOUSE FLOOR. >> HE WAS ESSENTIALLY PUTTING THE NAIL IN THE COFFIN HERE. >> I THINK IT WAS. I THINK THEY WOULD HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT PATH, AS WOULD ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT. THE THREAT OF A TRUMP OPPOSITION OUT THERE WAS ALREADY QUITE DAMAGING TO HIM. THE VOCAL OPPOSITION AND THE CAUSE NOT TO SUPPORT HIM, I THINK THAT REALLY SLAMMED THE DOOR IN ANYBODY CHANGING THEIR MIND TO THE PRO EMMER . >> ALL RIGHT, GARRETT HAAKE,