MARIA: WELCOME BACK.
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
ANNOUNCING THE START OF AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO WHETHER
PRESIDENT TRUMP ABUSED HIS POWER
WHEN HE ASKED UKRAINE'S
PRESIDENT TO LOOK INTO A
POLITICAL RIVAL.
JOINING US NOW IS GEORGIA
CONGRESSMAN DOUG COLLINS,
RANKING MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE IN THE HOUSE.
SIR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
>> HEY, MARIA.
IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU
WITH.
MARIA: YOU JUST HEARD MY
CONVERSATION WITH RUDY GIULIANI,
I HOPE.
GIVE US YOUR REACTION TO THIS
INQUIRY INTO IMPEACHMENT.
>> WELL, FIRST OFF, RUDY IS A
PASSIONATE DEFENDER OF THIS
PRESIDENT.
HE'S WATCHED THIS PRESIDENT BE
ATTACKED FOR OVER THREE YEARS,
AND HE IS PRESENTING THAT.
THAT'S HIS JOB.
BUT LET ME GO BACK TO WHAT'S
GOING ON IN THE HOUSE AND WHERE
THIS IS AT RIGHT NOW.
THIS WEEK WE SAW A DARK DAY IN
THE HOUSE.
SPEAKER PELOSI ABUSED HER OATH
OF OFFICE, IF YOU WOULD, BY
SAYING AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
HAD STARTED AND THEY WERE
SENDING IT TO THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE WHERE YOU HAVE A
GENTLEMAN WHO HAS A HABIT OF
LYING ABOUT THE FACTS,
MR. SCHIFF.
THEY'VE DECIDED TO WALK DOWN A
PATH IN WHICH THEY ARE CONTRARY
TO AMERICAN VALUES.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW THIS
PRESIDENT TO HAVE DUE PROCESS,
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE FAIR,
THEY'RE GOING TO RAMROD THIS
THING THROUGH BECAUSE -- AND I
HEARD A MEMBER OF HOUSE
LEADERSHIP SAY THIS MORNING ON
ANOTHER NETWORK THAT HE WANTED
TO HAVE AN INQUIRY, BUT HE
WASN'T READY TO VOTE FOR
IMPEEPMENT.
IF THEY WERE TRULY SERIOUS, THEY
WOULD BRING IT TO FLOOR, HAVE A
VOTE ARE, AND THEN THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THIS WAS NOT
SIMPLY A DEMOCRAT RAMROD OF THIS
PRESIDENT.
MARIA: SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
FOR THIS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY?
WHERE DOES THIS GO?
IS THE PRESIDENT IN JEOPARDY OF
BEING REMOVED FROM OFFICE?
>> NO, HE'S NOT IN JEOPARDY OF
BEING REMOVED FROM OFFICE.
HE'S IN JEOPARDY OF HAVING TO
CONTINUE THE ONSLAUGHT OF LIES
AND ATTACKS AND HALF-TRUTHS FROM
A ONE-SIDED INVESTIGATION IN THE
HOUSE.
THIS IS SOMETHING FROM MY
POSITION AS RANKING MEMBER OF
THE JEWISH -- JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE.
ANYTIME THEY'VE BEEN ALLOWED,
WE'VE ALLOWED TO HAVE
INVESTIGATIONS WHETHER IT BE THE
MUELLER REPORT OR THESE
RIDICULOUS HEARINGS THAT
CHAIRMAN NADLER'S HAD, IT'S
ALWAYS SHOWN THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG.
THE COLLUSION WAS A FALSE
NARRATIVE, THE CONSPIRACIES, ALL
THESE THINGS WERE FALSE WHEN YOU
ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE.
SO NOW THEY DECIDED LET'S THROW
THAT OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE
THAT'S NOT WORKING.
FAIRNESS IS NOT WORKING.
BEING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE IS NOT RIGHT, SO
WE'RE JUST GOING TO RAMROD IT
THROUGH.
THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT
NOW.
MARIA: LOOK, I WANT TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THE RULES AROUND A
WHISTLEBLOWER.
WE KNOW THAT IN THE ACTUAL
TRANSCRIPT WE SEE THAT -- AND
THE ACTUAL COMPLAINT, RATHER,
THE WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS I DO NOT
HAVE DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF THIS.
THAT IS IN THE COMPLAINT.
BUT I WAS TOLD THIS, AND I TRUST
THE PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME.
WHAT ARE THE RULES AROUND THE
WHISTLEBLOWER IN TERMS OF WHAT
THAT PERSON CAN CHARGE?
>> WELL, THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY
BEEN INTERESTING BECAUSE WE'VE
BEEN FINDING OUT THAT THE
WHISTLEBLOWER, ESPECIALLY IN THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, RULES
SEEM TO HAVE BEEN CHANGED FROM
DEMANDING A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OR
ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE, FIRSTHAND
KNOWLEDGE OF THE ABUSE OR THE
MISUSE OF ISSUES IN THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, TO NOW
WHERE THEY CAN HAVE SECONDHAND
INFORMATION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE WHISTLEBLOWER
REPORT EVEN BESIDES THE
TRANSCRIPT AND EVERYTHING ELSE,
COMPARING THE TWO IS REALLY
INTERESTING BECAUSE IT SEEM TO
BE A VERY WELL WRITTEN DOCUMENT,
MULTISOURCED.
IF THIS WERE A PIECE IN "THE NEW
YORK TIMES"ES OR WASHINGTON
POST, THAT MIGHT BE WHAT YOU
WOULD EXPECT.
BUT YOU DON'T EXPECT IT IN A
LEGAL DOCUMENT ACCUSING A
PRESIDENT OF DOING SOMETHING IN
AN ILLEGAL FASHION AND DOING SO
FROM SECONDHAND INFORMATION.
NOW, AS WE GO FORWARD HERE, IS
THAT GOING TO BE THE FACT THAT'S
BEEN CHANGED IN THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY TO WHERE BASICALLY
ANYBODY CAN TAKE ANY REPORT THEY
WANT TO AND DECIDE TO FILE A
COMPLAINT?
THIS IS MORE SERIOUS THAN THIS.
THIS PRESIDENT AND OUR COUNTRY
DESERVES BETTER THAN WHAT WE'RE
SEEING --
MARIA: THEY MAY DESERVE BETTER
BUT, CONGRESSMAN, THAT'S NOT
WHAT'S HAPPENING.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE IN CHARGE, AND
THEY ARE GOING TO BE
INVESTIGATING THIS, AND THEY
WANT THE PRESIDENT OUT OF
OFFICE.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT
ABOUT IT AS THE RANKING MEMBER
OF JUDICIARY?
>> WELL, IT'S BEEN A REALLY
INTERESTING WEEK BECAUSE IT
SEEMS LIKE THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE IS, AGAIN, IN THIS
RAMROD OF SPEAKER PELOSI AND,
YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, DEGRADATION
OF THE HOUSE RULES.
THEY'RE SAYING NOW, WELL, WE'RE
GOING TO DO AN INQUIRY, WE'RE
GOING TO KEEP FOLLOWING THE
RULES, BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO
SAY THIS, IN JUST THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS I THINK WE'RE DOING TO SEE
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT
COME OUT, WE'RE GOING TO
CONCENTRATE ON 40 HOW THIS
ACTUALLY GOT STARTED, HOPEFULLY
THE SENATE WILL BE, AND I KNOW
LINDSAY GRAHAM WILL BE DOING
THAT.
THEY'RE RUSHING TO JUDGMENT,
MARIA.
KEEP THIS CLEARLY IN MIND, THEY
KNOW TIME IS RUNNING OUT, AND
THEY'RE DESPERATE FOR THIS
PRESIDENT NOT TO WIN NEXT YEAR.
MARIA: ARE WE GOING TO SEE
INDICTMENTS, PROSECUTIONS OF THE
PEOPLE WHO DID THE WRONGDOING
COMING OUT OF THE FISA ABUSE
STORY AND AFTER THE I.G. REPORT?
WHERE IS THE, WHERE IS THE
ACCOUNTABILITY?
>> WELL, THE ACCOUNTABILITY, I
THINK, IS COMING.
YOU SEE ALL OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS
ARE CONTINUING TO SCRAMBLE,
MAKING UP STORIES ON HOW THEY
WERE REALLY JUST DOING THEIR
JOB.
IT SOUNDS SIMILAR TO, OH, I
DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, DON'T LOOK
OVER HERE.
I THINK BILL BARR, THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL ARE LOOKING INTO THIS,
AND THIS ACCOUNTABILITY -- WE'VE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT A LOCK
TIME.
IT'S TIME TO STOP THE HARASSMENT
OF THIS PRESIDENT, IT'S TIME FOR
THE HOUSE TO BE DOING WHAT THEY
NEED TO BE DOING AND THAT IS GET
BACK TO PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
MARIA: CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU SO