SHORT NEWS CYCLE. >> THANK YOU, NICK, NOAH, AND
CARINE, YOU’RE GOING TO STAY
WITH US SO DON’T GO TOO FAR.
AS THE HOUSE PLANS TO ENTER A
NEW PHASE OF THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY, WE’RE LEARNING MORE
TODAY ABOUT WHAT LED UP TO THIS
MOMENT AND WHO KNEW WHAT WHEN
REGARDING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
POLICY TOWARD UKRAINE.
TWO PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE
MATTER TELL NBC NEWS THAT THE
WHITE HOUSE WAS ALERTED AS EARLY
AS MID-MAY THAT PRESSURE FROM
RUDY GIULIANI AND ONE OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AMBASSADORS
WAS RATTLING THE NEW UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. JOINING ME NOW IS SOMEONE WHO
HAS HEARD DIRECTLY FROM THE
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ABOUT THE
PRESSURE HE WAS FEELING FROM
GIULIANI.
GIULIANI. CONNECTICUT DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
CHRIS MURPHY.
CHRIS MURPHY. HE MET WITH UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY THIS SUMMER AND IS A
MEMBER OF THE SENATE FOREIGN
RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
RELATIONS COMMITTEE. FOR VIEWERS WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW,
WILL YOU JUST TELL US WHAT THE
PRESIDENT TOLD YOU?
ZELENSKY, THAT IS.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. I WAS IN UKRAINE IN EARLY
SEPTEMBER.
SEPTEMBER. THIS IS AFTER WE KNEW THAT THE
AID HAD BEEN CUT OFF.
BUT BEFORE WE KNEW THE EXTENT OF
THIS QUID PRO QUO.
AND I WENT THERE BECAUSE AS
EARLY AS MAY, I WAS HEARING
REPORTS FROM MY FRIENDS IN
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN
U.S./UKRAINE RELATIONS FOR THE
BETTER PART OF THE LAST SIX
YEARS.
YEARS. I HAD BEEN HEARING FROM MY
FRIENDS IN UKRAINE THAT ZELENSKY
WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE
OVERCHURS
OVERCHURS OVER
OVER OVERTURES HE WAS GETTING FROM
RUDY GIULIANI AND OTHERS TO GET
INVOLVED IN THE PRESIDENT’S
POLITICAL POLITICS.
POLITICAL POLITICS. AND YOU KNOW, YOU DON’T NEED
REALLY GOOD REPORTING TO KNOW
THAT A NEW PRESIDENT WHO HAS
NEVER BEEN IN ELECTED OFFICE
BEFORE LIKE ZELENSKY WOULD, OF
COURSE, BE VERY CONCERNED THAT
THE PRESIDENT WAS SENDING OVER
HIS POLITICAL FIXERS TO TRY TO
GET HIM INVOLVED IN AMERICAN
POLITICS.
POLITICS. SO I WAS HEARING THAT IN THE
SPRING.
SPRING. AND EVENTUALLY, I MADE IT OVER
THERE ALONG WITH SENATOR RON
JOHNSON IN EARLY SEPTEMBER.
AND I RAISED THIS ISSUE WITH
ZELENSKY.
ZELENSKY. I SAID TO HIM, IT WOULD BE VERY
BAD FOR UKRAINE TO GET INVOLVED
IN AN AMERICAN ELECTION.
AND IF HE WANTS TO DO BUSINESS
WITH THE UNITED STATES, HE
SHOULD BE TALKING TO THE STATE
DEPARTMENT, NOT TO THE
PRESIDENT’S POLITICAL LAWYERS.
AND HE AGREED.
I MEAN, HE GAVE A VERY STRONG
ANSWER BACK.
ANSWER BACK. SAID I WANT TO STAY OUT OF
AMERICAN ELECTIONS.
AMERICAN ELECTIONS. I WANT TO HAVE A ABOVE THE BOARD
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. AND IT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS LATER
THAT WE REALIZED THE EXTENT OF
THIS CORRUPTION AND HOW MUCH
PRESSURE ZELENSKY ACTUALLY WAS
UNDER.
UNDER. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT’S
GOING ON CAPITOL HILL.
NANCY PELOSI IS GOING TO HOLD AN
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY VOTE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT
MOSQUE?MOSQUEVE?
MOSQUE?MOSQUEVE? >> WELL, LEGALLY, I DON’T THINK
IT’S NECESSARY.
IT’S NECESSARY. RECENT COURT DECISIONS HAVE
CONFIRMED THE FACT THAT THE
HOUSE DOESN’T HAVE TO TAKE AN
OFFICIAL VOTE.
OFFICIAL VOTE. >> SO WHY ARE THEY?
>> I MEAN, I THINK YOU’RE BETTER
OFF IF THERE’S REALLY NO REASON
NOT TO DO IT.
TO ANSWER YOUR CRITICS.
>> WHY DIDN’T SHE DO IT TWO
WEEKS AGO WHEN THEY STARTED
COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WELL, AGAIN, I DON’T THINK IT’S
NECESSARY.
NECESSARY. I CAN’T ANSWER AS TO WHY SHE
DIDN MAKE THE DECISION
EARLIER.
EARLIER. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
REPUBLICANS HAVE INTERESTINGLY
SHIFTED ALL OF THEIR CRITICISM
ON TO THE PROCESS BECAUSE THEY
CAN’T REALLY HAVE A DEBATE ON
THE FACTS.
THE FACTS. I MEAN, IT’S NOW CLEAR AS DAY
THAT THE PRESIDENT WAS TRYING TO
TRADE ACCESS TO THE WHITE HOUSE
AND AMERICAN SECURITY AID FOR
ELECTION INTERFERENCE.
ELECTION INTERFERENCE. AND SO I THINK THIS IS A
CRITICAL MOMENT AS THE FACTS ARE
BECOMING PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE FOR
REPUBLICANS TO REFUTE.
FOR SPEAKER PELOSI TO TAKE THESE
PROCESS ARGUMENTS OFF THE TABLE,
WHICH SHE WILL DO WITH THIS VOTE
ON THURSDAY.
ON THURSDAY. AND THEN REPUBLICANS WILL BE
LEFT TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY
ACTUALLY WANT TO CONTINUE TO
DEFEND THIS PRESIDENT’S ACTIONS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
McCONNELL/GRAHAM RESOLUTION THAT
COULD POTENTIALLY COME TO THE
FLOOR THIS WEEK.
BASICALLY, CALLING THE
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS UNFAIR AND
ILLEGAL.
ILLEGAL. SAYING THE PRESIDENT NEEDS TO
HAVE DUE PROCESS.
NOW THAT NANCY PELOSI IS GOING
TO BE HOLDING A VOTE, WHAT DOES
THAT DO TO THAT RESOLUTION?
>> WELL, I MEAN, IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN A MISTAKE TO WASTE TIME IN
THE SENATE FLOOR DEBATING THAT
RESOLUTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
GIVEN THAT THE MINORITY HAS FULL
ACCESS TO THESE INTERVIEWS.
REPUBLICANS ARE LET IN THE ROOM
AND THERE’S GOING TO BE.
THERE ALWAYS WAS GOING TO BE AN
OPEN PROCESS AFTER THESE PRIVATE
INTERVIEWS TOOK PLACE.
BUT NOW, THAT PELOSI IS HOLDING
THIS VOTE, I WOULD HOPE THAT
THEY’LL SHELF THIS RESOLUTION.
AGAIN, I THINK THE RESOLUTION
SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE, THE
ONLY SORT OF WAY THAT THEY CAN
ANSWER TRUMP’S CONCERNS, THEY
AREN’T DEFENDING HIM STRONGLY
ENOUGH, IS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT
PROCESS BECAUSE EVEN REPUBLICANS
IN THE SENATE BY AND LARGE ARE
NOT WILLING TO DEFEND WHAT THE
PRESIDENT DID.
PRESIDENT DID. HOPEFULLY, THIS RESOLUTION NOW
DOESN’T COME BEFORE US FOR
DEBATE OR A VOTE.
>> CORRECT ME IF YOU HAVE NOT
BEEN PAYING ATTENTION BUT AT
SOME POINT, IF IMPEACHMENT GETS
HANDED OVER TO THE SENATE, IF
THE HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH,
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE A
JUDGE OF THE IMPEACHMENT
ARTICLES.
ARTICLES. YOU, I PRESUME, HAVE BEEN PAYING
ATTENTION TO WHAT’S BEEN GOING
ON IN SOME OF THOSE DEPOSITIONS
WITH SOME OF THAT TESTIMONY, AT
LEAST THE STUFF THAT’S BEEN
RELEASED PUBLICLY.
RELEASED PUBLICLY. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT, IF ANY OF
IT, HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?
>> WELL, I THINK THE SCOPE OF
THIS CORRUPTION IS JUST
CONTINUALLY STUNNING.
CONTINUALLY STUNNING. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT
THERE WERE MULTIPLE HIGH-LEVEL
OFFICIALS IN THE STATE
DEPARTMENT WHO WERE ENGAGED IN
TRYING TO GET THE UKRAINIANS TO
INVESTIGATE AND HELP DESTROY THE
PRESIDENT’S POLITICAL RIVALS.
AND CLEARLY, THAT WAS ONLY IN
EXCHANGE ULTIMATELY FOR U.S.
SECURITY ASSISTANCE.
SECURITY ASSISTANCE. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT I
ULTIMATELY AM A JUROR.
I UNDERSTAND THAT I DON’T KNOW
WHAT THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
ARE YET.
ARE YET. THAT MIGHT BE SENT TO THE
SENATE.
SENATE. BUT I’VE BEEN PRETTY CLEAR THAT
THE CONDUCT THAT HAS THUS FAR
BEEN PROVEN, THAT HAS BEEN
TESTIFIED TO BY REPUBLICANS AND
CAREER STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS BEFORE THE IMPEACHMENT
INQUIRY, CERTAINLY LOOKS