NOTABLY FORMER CHIEF COUNSEL TO THE HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE.
MIKE, SINCE YOU WERE QUOTED, I
WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN WITH YOU.
WHAT DOES YOUR REPORTING SAY
ABOUT THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS?
WHAT MIGHT YOUR REPORTING SAY
ABOUT THE MOTIVES OF DONALD
TRUMP?
TRUMP? >> WELL, WHAT OUR REPORTING DID
IS IT PROVIDED A VERY KEY BUT
SORT OF BASIC POINT ABOUT THE
ENTIRE SAGA, THE SIMPLE FACT OF
WHEN THE PRESIDENT KNEW ABOUT
THE WHISTLEBLOWER’S COMPLAINT TO
SORT OF HELP FILL OUT THE LARGER
PICTURE OF THE INFORMATION THE
PRESIDENT HAD WHEN HE MADE ONE
OF THESE CRUCIAL DECISIONS.
AND THE POINT THAT WE HAD
UNCOVERED WAS IMPORTANT TO US
BECAUSE WE DIDN’T THINK THAT THE
FOLKS AT CAPITOL HILL THAT HAD
BEEN DOING THE IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDINGS HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN
TO THAT IN THE COURSE OF ALL
THEIR INVESTIGATION.
THEIR INVESTIGATION. THEY SPOKE TO ALL THESE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. THEY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN SO MANY
DOCUMENTS.
DOCUMENTS. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BLOCKED THEM
FROM TALKING ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE
CLOSEST TO THE PRESIDENT, THE
EXACT PEOPLE WHO COULD ANSWER
THE BASIC QUESTIONS OF WHAT THE
PRESIDENT KNEW, WHEN WAS HE
BRIEFED, WHY DID HE DECIDE TO DO
THE THINGS THAT HE DID.
SO WHILE ON THE FACE OF IT NOT
THE BIGGEST FACT ON THE FACE OF
THE EARTH, NOT THE BIGGEST
THING, BUT SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL
THAT FILLS OUT THE LARGER
PICTURE, THAT CHIPS AWAY TO GIVE
US A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
EVERYTHING THAT HE KNEW WHEN HE
MADE THESE DECISIONS THAT ARE
NOW AT THE CENTER OF THE
IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION.
IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION. >> HEY, KIMBERLY, LET’S TALK
ABOUT WILL HURD, THE LOW-TALKING
RETIRING MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM
TEXAS WHO REALLY BECAME FOR A
BRIEF WHILE THERE THE FAVORITE
REPUBLICAN OF SO MANY VERY
HOPEFUL DEMOCRATS.
HOPEFUL DEMOCRATS. HE NOTABLY AND PUBLICALLY SAID
ABOUT A WEEK AGO THAT HE HADN’T
SEEN ENOUGH EVIDENCE OR EVIDENCE
YET OF BRIBERY OR EXTORTION.
DOES REPORTING LIKE THIS GET A
GUY LIKE WILL HURD, AND THAT’S
ONE REPUBLICAN, CLOSER?
>> I THINK WE’LL HAVE TO SEE.
I MEAN, ONE THING THAT WE ARE
SEEING IS PUBLIC OPINION SEEMS
TO BE GROWING STRONGER IN
SUPPORT OF THIS IMPEACHMENT
HEARING, AND THAT’S SOMETHING
THAT A LOT OF REPUBLICANS, NOT
CONGRESSMAN HURD, BECAUSE HE IS
LEAVING, BUT A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS SHOULD HAVE IN MIND
WHEN THEY CONSIDER WHAT RISES TO
THE LEVEL OF BRIBERY IN THEIR
EYES.
EYES. THE DEMOCRATS CLEARLY HAVE LAID
OUT A CASE THAT IS ONLY
SUPPORTED BY THIS LATEST
REPORTING BY MICHAEL AND THE
OTHER FOLKS AT THE TIMES THAT
DONALD TRUMP DID THIS AND
ULTIMATELY GAVE THIS AID AFTER
HE ESSENTIALLY GOT CAUGHT IN THE
WORDS OF CONGRESSMAN SCHIFF.
AND IT TAKES AWAY A KEY DEFENSE
OF REPUBLICANS WHO SAY, LOOK,
THERE IS NO FAULT HERE.
HE GAVE THE AID.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
WE’RE LEARNING CAST THAT REALLY
CAST DOUBT ON THIS DEFENSE, SO
IT IS BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT
FOR REPUBLICANS.
FOR REPUBLICANS. BUT IF THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE
THE SUPPORT OF THEIR
CONSTITUENTS AND THE SUPPORT OF
THE PRESIDENT, SO FAR THAT’S
BEEN ENOUGH FOR THEM TO BE
SOLIDLY BEHIND HIM.
>> JEREMY BASH, IN PLAIN ENGLISH
WITH GUYS LIKE MIKE SCHMIDT OUT
THERE, WE’RE LEARNING NEW THINGS
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. THE TRAIN IS COMING DOWN THE
TRACKS.
TRACKS. TO MIX MY METAPHORS, THE
CALENDAR IS OWNED AND RUN BY THE
DEMOCRATS.
DEMOCRATS. IS THIS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM?
ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE VARIOUS
ADDENDUM COMING TO THE FLOOR
WHILE THIS IS BEING DEBATE SNDD?
>> I DO NOT THINK WE’RE GOING TO
LEARN NEW FACTS THAT WEAKEN IT.
I THINK IF THE PRESIDENT HAD ANY
ELSE CULL PA TOIR EVIDENCE HE
WOULD HAVE PUT IT FORWARD.
HE WOULD HAVE INSISTED THAT THE
INFORMATION THAT HE HAS BE PUT
OUT THERE.
OUT THERE. BUT THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIVE
DEFENSE OF THE CASE.
I THINK IN SOME RESPECTS IT IS
CASE CLOSED.
CASE CLOSED. THE EVIDENCE IS IN.
THE TESTIMONY HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
YEAH, WE MIGHT HEAR FROM JOHN
BOLTON DOWN THE ROAD OR SOME
ADDITIONAL WITNESS.
ADDITIONAL WITNESS. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, THE
FACTUAL PREDICATE IS THERE.
IT IS NOW A LEGAL ISSUE AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THIS BODY OF
FACTS CONSTITUTES BRIBERY,
TREASON OR A HIGH CRIME IN
MISDEMEANOR.
MISDEMEANOR. >> TALK ABOUT THE CONFLICT IN
THE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL’S OFFICE
THAT WAS GOING ON DURING THE
TIME PERIOD OF YOUR REPORTING
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. >> WELL, THE WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL’S OFFICE WAS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHETHER THE
ADMINISTRATION HAD TO HAND OVER
THE WHISTLEBLOWER’S COMPLAINT TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THE WHISTLEBLOWER HAD COME
FORWARD TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY,
AND THE INSPECTOR GENERAL WANTED
TO GIVE THAT DOCUMENT TO
CONGRESS, BUT THE WHITE HOUSE
COUNSEL’S OFFICE THOUGHT THERE
MAY BE SOME EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
ISSUES.
ISSUES. THIS IS A HIGHLY SENSITIVE ISSUE
BECAUSE YOU HAD SOME COMING
FORWARD COMPLAINING ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT AND THE PRESIDENT HAS
THESE POWERS TO PROTECT CERTAIN
INFORMATION FROM GOING OUT THE
DOOR.
DOOR. AND THEY WERE ASKING AND TALKING
TO THE PRESIDENT ABOUT THEY WERE
GOING TO ASK THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHETHER THEY
HAD TO DO THAT.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAID THEY
DID NOT HAVE TO HAND IT OVER AND
IT WAS ONLY UNDER PRESSURE THAT
THIS THING ACTUALLY CAME OUT.
SO IT IS UNCLEAR SORT OF HOW
THIS ACTUALLY FIT INTO WHAT THE
PRESIDENT WAS THINKING BECAUSE
AFTER HE WAS BRIEFED ON IT AT
THE END OF AUGUST, HE MAY HAVE
THOUGHT CERTAINLY IN EARLY
SEPTEMBER THAT IT MAY NOT COME
OUT, AND IT MAY NOT GO TO
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. AND OBVIOUSLY IT IS ON THE 11th,
SEPTEMBER 11th THAT THE AID IS
ULTIMATELY RELEASED AND AT THAT
POINT CONGRESS KNOWS ABOUT THE