>>> WE’RE GOING TO BRING IN DANNY CEVALLOS TO PROVIDE LEGAL
RESPECT.
RESPECT. A WHOLE LOT GOING ON THERE.
ONE OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS FROM
WHAT WE HAVE SEEN SO FAR, SET UP
THE GUIDELINES FOR TOMORROW’S
VOTE.
VOTE. >> IT’S A WONKY PLACE WE DON’T
PAY ATTENTION TO, BUT THE
COMMITTEE WILL DECIDE THE RULES
THAT WILL APPLY TO THE
IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AND IT
GIVES BOTH SIDES TO SOUND OFF
AGAIN ON THE ISSUES THAT THEY
THINK ARE IMPORTANT.
THE REAL FIREWORKS ARE GOING TO
BE THE FINAL VOTE.
>> FOR PEOPLE -- IT’S A LITTLE
BIT BORING.
BIT BORING. THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCEDURES
AND THE GUIDELINES.
S NO THE CASE AT ALL.
>> THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS ARE
FIGHTING AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.
YOU SEE ECHOES OR HEAR ECHOES OF
WHAT HAS BEEN ARGUED IN THE PAST
FEW DAYS OR WEEKS.
BUT THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE IS
CONVENED TO COME UP WITH THE
PROCEDURAL RULES THAT WILL
APPLY.
APPLY. WE DON’T HAVE THE BOOKS LIKE IN
THE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CASES
THAT GUIDE US LAWYERS AND TELL
US WHAT WE CAN AND CAN’T DO.
WHEN IT COMES TO IMPEACHMENT AND
THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE CREATE
THEIR OWN RULES.
>> SEEMS LIKE THEY’LL HAVE A
HARD TIME AGREEING ON THE
GUIDELINES BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE
THEY DON’T AGREE ON ALL THAT
MUCH.
MUCH. HOW LONG CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE
THIS GO ON?
>> KEEP IN MIND, THEY DIDN’T
AGREE ON BATHROOM BREAKS LAST
WEEK, EATING LUNCH.
THAT IS AN ALL OR NOTHING
APPROACH OF THE REPUBLICANS
WHICH IS FIGHT AT EVERY TURN AND
ASK FOR A ROLL CALL TO FIGHT
THIS PROCESS.
THIS PROCESS. SO IT IS REALLY IN A SENSE THEIR
DUTY TO DO SO.
SO WE CAN EXPECT THEM TO
CONTINUE ON THAT MISSION IN THIS
INSTANCE.
INSTANCE. >> HAVE WE SEEN ANY DECISION SO
FAR?
FAR? HAVE WE WHITTLED THINGS DOWN TO
ANY GUIDELINES?
ANY GUIDELINES? >> IT WILL GO TO THE HOUSE FOR A
VOTE BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A
LOT MORE THEATER ON BOTH SIDES
BECAUSE EACH SIDE HAS TO GET
THEIR MESSAGE OUT THERE.
SO EVENTUALLY THE RULES
COMMITTEE WILL FINISH THE WORK
BUT NOT BEFORE BOTH SIDES,
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS TAKE
EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SOUND OFF
ABOUT THEIR PARTICULAR
VIEWPOINT.
VIEWPOINT. >> IT SEEMS LIKE FOR ANYONE WHO
HAS BEEN WATCHING OVER THE LAST
TWO WEEKS, THIS IS JUST HOW
EVERYTHING HAS BEEN GOING IN THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. IF IT’S A VOTE, IT’S GENERALLY
NOT A QUICK ONE.
IF IT’S A MARKUP IT’S NOT A
SPEEDY CONVERSATION.
SPEEDY CONVERSATION. CAN WE EXPECT THE SAME SORT
TOMORROW AS WE HEAD FOR A HOUSE
VOTE, THERE’S LOTS OF ARGUING
AND LOTS OF DEBATING AND VERY
LITTLE EYE TO EYE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THIS IS ARGUABLY THE DEMOCRATS’
LAST OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THEY
WON’T HAVE THE SAME MAJORITY IN
THE SENATE.
THE SENATE. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> THIS IS THE LAST DAY OR
COUPLE OF DAYS WHERE THEY’RE
GOING TO BE THE ONES IN POWER.
ONCE IT GOES THROUGH THE SENATE,
THE REPUBLICANS ARE IN POWER
THERE.
THERE. BUT THE REPUBLICANS SEE THIS AS
ALSO THEIR LAST DITCH EFFORT IN
THE HOUSE TO MAKE ALL OF THE
ARGUMENTS THEY CAN, WHY THESE
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES SHOULD NOT
BE VOTED ON OR VOTED DOWN.
NOW STATISTICALLY THEY’RE NOT
LIKELY TO WIN BUT THAT DOESN’T
MEAN THEY DON’T STILL SEE THEIR
MISSION AS FIGHTING AT EVERY
TURN.
TURN. >> HOW IMPORTANT IS WHAT’S GOING
ON TODAY?
ON TODAY? IN IMPEACHMENT’S PAST, IT
DOESN’T ALWAYS GO TO THE RULE
COMMITTEE TO SET UP FOR THE
VOTE.
VOTE. >> IT DIDN’T IN THE CLINTON
SITUATION.
SITUATION. THE HOUSE AGAIN WE DON’T HAVE A
LOT OF PRECEDENT AND THAT
PRECEDENT ISN’T TECHNICALLY
BINDING.
BINDING. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PAST
IMPEACHMENTS IT IS INTERESTING
FROM THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
BUT WE WOULD NEVER APPLY THE
SAME STANDARDS WE DID TO ANDREW
JOHNSON OR EVEN GOING BACK TO
SENATOR BROWN, TO THE FIRST
IMPEACHMENT EVER.
IMPEACHMENT EVER. THOSE ARE DIFFERENT STANDARDS
AND THE IDEA OF PRECEDENT COMES
FROM OUR JUDICIARY.
THAT’S A COURT CREATED RULE THAT
OUR PRIOR CASES BINDS OUR FUTURE
CASES.
CASES. IT DOESN’T EXIST IN THE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. SO IT IS HISTORICALLY
INTERESTING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT,
THE HOUSE HAS THE SOLE POWER TO
IMPEACH AND WITH THAT COMES THE
SOLE RIGHT TO MAKE RULES AS IT
SEES FIT.
SEES FIT. >> WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT AT THE
END OF THE DAY TO WALK AWAY
WITH?
WITH? >> WITH MORE SPEECHES, LESS ON
THE PROCEDURAL BECAUSE WE KNOW
FUNDAMENTALLY THEY HAVE TO END
UP TAKING A VOTE.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? WE KNOW THERE’S A DEMOCRAT
MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE.
SO SUBSTANTIVELY THEY MAY NOT
TAKE AWAY A LOT IN TERMS OF
RULES, BUT THEY MAY SAY THAT
DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I SAW TODAY.
BUT WHAT YOU WILL SEE IS MORE
SPEECHES.
SPEECHES. MORE ARGUMENT AND MORE OF EACH
SIDE PUTTING THEIR BEST FOOT
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> IS IT A FORGONE CONCLUSION?
LOOKS LIKE THE PRESIDENT WILL BE
IMPEACHED IN THE HOUSE.
OKAY.
OKAY. A SENATE TRIAL IS COMING NEXT
MENTALITY.
MENTALITY. SEEMS LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE IS
FOR SURE.
FOR SURE. >> YES, THE HEAVY FAVORITE THIS
IS GOING TO AN IMPEACHMENT AND
IT WILL GO TO THE SENATE.
THERE ARE HINTS THAT SOME
DEMOCRATS MAY NOT VOTE FOR
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. THEY MAY NOT SUPPORT IT.
HOWEVER, THE NUMBERS APPEAR TO
BE THERE.
BE THERE. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW THERE’S
ALWAYS SURPRISES IN POLITICS SO
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.
BUT THE STRANGE THING ABOUT
IMPEACHMENT AND WHAT MAKES IT
DIFFERENT FROM A CRIMINAL
PROCESS, YOU CAN GET A HEAD
COUNT FROM BOTH THE JURORS AND
THE GRAND JURORS BECAUSE THEY’RE
THE HOUSE AND THE HOUSE AND THE